I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3542 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain types of humananimal chimeras. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2021 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. HARRIS, Mrs. FISCHBACH, Mr. 

BABIN, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. DAVIDSON, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. CRAWFORD, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. ROY, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. WEBER of 

Texas, Mr. GOOD of Virginia, and Mr. VAN DREW) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

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

types of human-animal 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-Animal Chi5 mera Prohibition Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN HUMAN-ANIMAL CHI2 MERAS. 

3 Part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended 

4 by inserting after chapter 51 the following: 

5 ‘‘CHAPTER 52—CERTAIN TYPES OF 

6 HUMAN-ANIMAL CHIMERAS PROHIBITED 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘1131. Definitions. 

‘‘1132. Prohibition on certain human-animal chimeras. 

7 ‘‘§ 1131. Definitions 

8 ‘‘In this chapter the following definitions apply: 

9 ‘‘(1) PROHIBITED HUMAN-ANIMAL CHIMERA.— 

10 The term ‘prohibited human-animal chimera’ 

11 means— 

12 ‘‘(A) a human embryo into which a 

13 nonhuman cell or cells (or the component parts 

14 thereof) have been introduced to render the em15 bryo’s membership in the species Homo sapiens 

16 uncertain; 

17 ‘‘(B) a human-animal embryo produced by 

18 fertilizing a human egg with nonhuman sperm; 

19 ‘‘(C) a human-animal embryo produced by 

20 fertilizing a nonhuman egg with human sperm; 

21 ‘‘(D) an embryo produced by introducing a 

22 nonhuman nucleus into a human egg; 

23 ‘‘(E) an embryo produced by introducing a 

24 human nucleus into a nonhuman egg; 


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1 ‘‘(F) an embryo containing at least haploid 

2 sets of chromosomes from both a human and a 

3 nonhuman life form; 

4 ‘‘(G) a nonhuman life form engineered 

5 such that human gametes develop within the 

6 body of a nonhuman life form; 

7 ‘‘(H) a nonhuman life form engineered 

8 such that it contains a human brain or a brain 

9 derived wholly or predominantly from human 

10 neural tissues; 

11 ‘‘(I) a nonhuman life form engineered such 

12 that it exhibits human facial features or other 

13 bodily morphologies to resemble human fea14 tures; or 

15 ‘‘(J) an embryo produced by mixing 

16 human and nonhuman cells, such that— 

17 ‘‘(i) human gametes develop within 

18 the body of the resultant organism; 

19 ‘‘(ii) it contains a human brain or a 

20 brain derived wholly or predominantly from 

21 human neural tissues; or 

22 ‘‘(iii) it exhibits human facial features 

23 or other bodily morphologies to resemble 

24 human features. 


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1 ‘‘(2) HUMAN EMBRYO.—The term ‘human em2 bryo’ means an organism of the species Homo sapi3 ens during the earliest stages of development, from 

4 1 cell up to 8 weeks. 

5 ‘‘§ 1132. Prohibition on certain human-animal chi6 meras 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for any per8 son to knowingly, in or otherwise affecting interstate com9 merce— 

10 ‘‘(1) create or attempt to create a prohibited 

11 human-animal chimera; 

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

13 embryo into a nonhuman womb; 

14 ‘‘(3) transfer or attempt to transfer a non15 human embryo into a human womb; or 

16 ‘‘(4) transport or receive for any purpose a pro17 hibited human-animal chimera. 

18 ‘‘(b) PENALTIES.— 

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

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

21 more than 10 years, or both. 

22 ‘‘(2) CIVIL PENALTY.—Whoever violates sub23 section (a) and derives pecuniary gain from such vio24 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 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—This section does 

4 not prohibit research involving the use of transgenic ani5 mal models containing human genes or transplantation of 

6 human organs, tissues, or cells into recipient animals, if 

7 such activities are not prohibited under subsection (a).’’. 

8 SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT. 

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

10 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat11 ing to chapter 51 the following: 

‘‘52. Certain types of human-animal chimeras prohibited.’’. 

Æ 


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