Iowa Pro-Human Cloning Vote Blamed on Rock Star Sheryl Crow

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 26, 2007   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Iowa Pro-Human Cloning Vote Blamed on Rock Star Sheryl Crow Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 26
, 2007

Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) — The state of Iowa is about to allow human cloning for any reason after the state House narrow approved a bill to do that. Pro-life groups are now blaming the outcome of the vote on rock star Sheryl Crow, who lobbied one legislator planning to vote against the bill and got him to be the deciding vote to promote cloning.

Last Thursday the Iowa House of Representatives voted 52-46 in favor of human cloning for both reproductive and research purposes.

One pro-life legislator accidentally voted for the bill but had Representative Brian Quirk, a Democrat from New Hampton, voted against it as well it would have died for the lack of a majority.

Quirk is Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus, a well-known group within the church that is strongly pro-life. He had pledged to oppose the bill.

But Joesph Cella, the president of the Catholic pro-life group Fidelis, told LifeNews.com that Quirk changed his vote after lobbying from Crow.

"Representative Quirk changed his vote under tremendous pressure, which included a call from rock star Sheryl Crow who called him on his cell phone the evening before the final vote to urge him to vote ‘yes’ on the legislation," he explained.

Cella said Crow "has been a champion of abortion" who has performed at various pro-abortion "Rock for Choice" concerts "and is a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood," which is the nation’s largest abortion business.

"She is the last person Iowans, particularly a Catholic legislator who claims to be pro-life, should look to when it comes to protecting human life," Cella said.

The bill, SF 162, now heads to Governor Chet Culver who has promised to sign it.

It would repeal the current state law banning human cloning in order to allow ‘somatic cell nuclear transfer,’ a form of cloning, that could be used for embryonic stem cell research.

Related web sites:
Fidelis – https://www.fidelis.org
Iowa Right to Life Committee – https://www.IRLC.org