II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 659 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human chimeras. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2005 

Mr. BROWNBACK introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human 

chimeras. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Human Chimera Pro5 hibition Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) advances in research and technology have 

9 made possible the creation of chimeras, which are 

10 beings with diverse human and non-human tissue; 
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1 (2) serious ethical objections are raised to some 

2 types of chimeras because they blur the lines be3 tween human and animal, male and female, parent 

4 and child, and one individual and another individual; 

5 (3) respect for human dignity and the integrity 

6 of the human species may be threatened by chi7 meras; 

8 (4) the uniqueness of individual human beings 

9 is manifested in a particular way through their brain 

10 and their reproductive organs/cells; and 

11 (5) with an increase in emerging zoonotic infec12 tion threatening the public health, both domestically 

13 and abroad, chimeras present a particularly optimal 

14 means of genetic transfers that could increase the 

15 efficiency or virulence of diseases threatening both 

16 humans and animals. 

17 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON HUMAN CHIMERAS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part I of title 18, United States 

19 Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 15 the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘CHAPTER 16—HUMAN CHIMERAS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘301. Definitions. 

‘‘302. Prohibition on human chimeras. 

22 ‘‘§ 301. Definitions 

23 ‘‘In this chapter the following definitions apply: 
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1 ‘‘(1) HUMAN CHIMERA.—The term ‘human chi2 mera’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a human embryo into which a non4 human cell, or any component part of a non5 human cell, has been introduced; 

6 ‘‘(B) a human embryo that consists of cells 

7 derived from more than 1 human embryo, fetus, 

8 or born individual; 

9 ‘‘(C) a human egg that has been fertilized 

10 by a non-human sperm; 

11 ‘‘(D) a non-human egg that has been fer12 tilized by a human sperm; 

13 ‘‘(E) a human egg into which a non-human 

14 nucleus has been introduced; 

15 ‘‘(F) a non-human egg into which a human 

16 nucleus has been introduced; 

17 ‘‘(G) a human egg or a non-human egg 

18 that otherwise contains haploid sets of chro19 mosomes from both a human and a non-human 

20 life form; 

21 ‘‘(H) a non-human life form engineered 

22 such that human gametes develop within the 

23 body of a non-human life form; or 

24 ‘‘(I) a non-human life form engineered 

25 such that it contains a human brain or a brain 
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1 derived wholly or predominantly from human 

2 neural tissues. 

3 ‘‘(2) HUMAN EMBRYO.—The term ‘human em4 bryo’ means an organism of the species Homo sapi5 ens during the earliest stages of development, from 

6 1 cell up to 8 weeks. 

7 ‘‘§ 302. Prohibition on human chimeras 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for any per9 son to knowingly, in or otherwise affecting interstate com10 merce— 

11 ‘‘(1) create or attempt to create a human chi12 mera; 

13 ‘‘(2) transfer or attempt to transfer a human 

14 embryo into a non-human womb; 

15 ‘‘(3) transfer or attempt to transfer a non16 human embryo into a human womb; or 

17 ‘‘(4) transport or receive for any purpose a 

18 human chimera. 

19 ‘‘(b) PENALTIES.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whoever violates subsection 

21 (a) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not 

22 more than 10 years, or both. 

23 ‘‘(2) CIVIL PENALTY.—Whoever violates sub24 section (a) and derives pecuniary gain from such vio25 lation shall be subject to a civil fine of the greater 
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1 of $1,000,000 and an amount equal to the amount 

2 of the gross gain multiplied by 2.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT. 

4 The table of chapters for part I of title 18, United 

5 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat6 ing to chapter 15 the following: 

‘‘16. Human chimeras ....................................................................... 301’’. 

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