Bush praises House for human cloning ban
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush Thursday applauded the House of Representatives for passing legislation banning human cloning, and he urged the Senate to follow suit.
"Like most Americans, I believe human cloning is deeply troubling, and I strongly support efforts by Congress to ban all human cloning," Bush said in a written statement.
"We must advance the promise and cause of medical science, including through ethical stem cell research, yet we must do so in ways that respect human dignity and help build a culture of life. I urge the Senate to act quickly on legislation banning all human cloning."
Earlier in the day, the House, in a 241-155 vote, passed a bill banning human cloning that would impose a prison sentence of up 10 years for violators and fines beginning at $1 million.
The bill says it would be unlawful for anyone "to perform or attempt to perform human cloning; to participate in an attempt to perform human cloning; or to ship or receive for any purpose an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such embryo."
The legislation gained momentum in recent months after the company Clonaid claimed it successfully cloned the first ever human in December. The company has since announced the births of four other alleged clones, although it has never produced evidence to support its claims. All of the alleged babies have been born outside the United States.
