Des Moines — A bill that will repeal Iowa’s ban on human cloning is being fast tracked in the Senate. Although it was just introduced last week, the full Senate is expected to debate SF 162 today.

“Despite misleading information coming out of the Governor’s office and Democratic leadership, this bill is absolutely about human cloning,” said Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) President Chuck Hurley. “The section of the Iowa Code that SF 162 repeals (707B) is titled ‘Human Cloning’ and is introduced in the Code saying ‘the purpose of this chapter is to prohibit human cloning.’ So to say the bill is not about human cloning is absurd.”

There is currently no ban on stem cell research in Iowa’s Code. The rhetoric claiming this bill will not repeal cloning is based on the bill’s attempt to redefine cloning. According to the bill if you clone to kill for research that’s not cloning, but if you clone to allow the embryo to live that is cloning. Iowans have more common sense than that.

Some are also trying to confuse the debate by saying the bill only allows Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). That is absolutely true, but they neglect to mention that Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer is the scientific description of cloning!

Thousands of emails have been sent to Iowa lawmakers on this issue through IFPC’s grassroots system alone. “The message is clear, Iowans won’t be fooled by political rhetoric, and oppose the mass production of human cloning this bill will allow,” said Hurley.

Hurley is available for further comment.