Louisiana Human Cloning Ban Pulled, Now Allows Destructive Research
by Paul Nowak
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
May 12, 2004
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) — A wholesale ban on human cloning was pulled Tuesday when legislators voted to revise it to allow destructive embryonic research.
Rep. Gary Beard (R-Baton Rouge) had introduced HB803 as a bill to ban all human cloning. Senate President Donald Hines (D-Bunkie) has proposed SB 74, a bill that bans reproductive cloning, but not what has been called "therapeutic cloning," or human cloning with the intent to destroy the human embryo and harvest stem cells for research.
Rep. Eric LaFleur (D-Ville Platte) proposed an amendment to Beard’s bill, causing the bill to be similar to the Senate President’s. Realizing that his purpose for the bill had been sabotaged by his colleagues who voted 55-42 to amend the bill, Beard pulled the bill.
