http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/01/22/eline/links/20020122elin036.html
Jan 22, 2002
A new law on bioethics that would
permit limited embryo research in France but maintains a ban on all forms
of human cloning passed its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday.
Deputies in the National Assembly
voted 325 to 21 to adopt the text, which will now go to the Senate.
It will not be debated there until
after presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled from April to
June, an indication of the controversy surrounding the issue.
The draft aims to amend three laws
on bioethics passed in 1994 to take account of scientific and medical developments.
France has been among the countries
most opposed to cloning technologies and the text maintains an existing
ban on both reproductive and so-called therapeutic cloning--the creation
of stem cells for medical research.
The text includes provisions for
prison terms of up to 20 years for anyone found guilty of flouting the
prohibition.
Among changes to the 1994 laws, the
new draft would permit research using frozen embryos from fertility clinics
that are no longer needed for human reproduction.
It would also extend the circle of
people able to donate an organ for transplant from close relatives of an
individual who needs the transplant to anyone with a "stable and durable
relationship" with the intended recipient.
The cloning of human embryos has
raised passionate debate worldwide with critics, including those in France,
lobbying for a global ban on such research on fears that it could lead
to creating a whole person.
Supporters of therapeutic cloning
say the technique could prove invaluable in the development of cures for
a whole range of diseases.
France's biotechnology industry has
pushed for less restrictive legislation on therapeutic cloning and urged
the government last week to allow imports of stem cells to advance medical
research.
Stem cells, or "master cells," have
the potential to turn into any type of human cell and hold immense, though
unproven, promise for treating many illnesses, including Parkinson's disease,
heart disease and diabetes.
Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited
PARIS, (Reuters)