Fetus Farming Prohibition Act of 2006

FETUS FARMING PROHIBITION ACT OF 2006

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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, fetus farming, the growing of embryos and fetuses so as to derive tissue or organs and other cells for research or treatment, turns human beings into commodities.

Fetus farming is a grave violation of human rights and is an act of research violence that Congress must stop.

The harbinger of human fetus farming, Mr. Speaker, can be found in animal fetus farming studies already under way. We know that researchers are not doing this research to advance veterinary medicine.

Dr. Robert Lanza, for example, of Advanced Cell Technology, attempted to clone cows for their liver stem cells. The cloned cow fetuses were implanted and grown in the womb for 3 to 4 months before being aborted so their liver tissue could be harvested. Dr. Lanza said ominously, ``We hope to use this technology in the future to treat patients with diverse diseases.'' He is not talking about cows. He is talking about human beings.

Another researcher, Dr. Smadar Evantov-Friedman of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, conducted research to determine the best ``gestational time windows for the growth of pig embryonic liver, pancreas, and lung precursors.'' They determined that the best windows for tissue ranged from more than 2 months to more than 6 months, and that is 6 months of gestation.

This is not science fiction, Mr. Speaker. This is actual animal research. I have no doubt that Dr. Lanza and Evantov-Friedman and others are not investing enormous amounts of money and talent in research for cures for animals.

And the loopholes to allow fetus farming already exist in State laws. In my home State of New Jersey, a law was enacted in 2004 that defines a cloning ban in such a bizarre way so as to ban it only if the cloned human being is grown to the newborn stage.

Thus, in my State, a cloned embryo could be grown to the later fetal stage and then aborted for research. I would point out parenthetically that many of us raised these issues with our Governor, then Gov. McGreevey. I gave him a letter outlining these concerns about the legislation. They knew that what they were doing would allow the harvesting, the fetus farming of these individuals.

S. 3504 makes it unlawful to solicit or knowingly acquire, receive, or accept a donation of human fetal tissue knowing that a human pregnancy was deliberately initiated to provide such tissue or knowingly acquire or receive or accept tissue or cells obtained from a human embryo or fetus that was gestated in a nonhuman animal.

Fetus farming is dehumanizing. It is a serious violation of human rights. Every human life is precious, Mr. Speaker, and has innate value and dignity. Every human life, regardless of age, maturity or condition of dependency deserves respect. Every human life, no matter how small, deserves protection from harm, inhumane experimentation or slaughter.

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