I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2505
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human cloning.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 16, 2001
Mr. WELDON of Florida (for himself, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. KERNS, and Mr.
KUCINICH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human
cloning.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Human Cloning Prohi-
bition Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON HUMAN CLONING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title 18, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after chapter 15, the following:
‘‘CHAPTER 16—HUMAN CLONING
‘‘Sec.
‘‘301. Definitions.
‘‘302. Prohibition on human cloning.
‘‘§ 301. Definitions
‘‘In this chapter:
‘‘(1) HUMAN
CLONING.—The term ‘human
cloning’ means human asexual reproduction, accom-
plished by introducing nuclear material from one or
more human somatic cells into a fertilized or
unfertilized oocyte whose nuclear material has been
removed or inactivated so as to produce a living or-
ganism (at any stage of development) that is geneti-
cally virtually identical to an existing or previously
exisiting human organism.
‘‘(2) ASEXUAL
REPRODUCTION.—The term
‘asexual reproduction’ means reproduction not initi-
ated by the union of oocyte and sperm.
‘‘(3) SOMATIC CELL.—The term ‘somatic cell’
means a diploid cell (having a complete set of chro-
mosomes) obtained or derived from a living or de-
ceased human body at any stage of development.
‘‘§ 302. Prohibition on human cloning
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for any per-
son or entity, public or private, in or affecting interstate
commerce, knowingly—
‘‘(1) to perform or attempt to perform human
cloning;
‘‘(2) to participate in an attempt to perform
human cloning; or
‘‘(3) to ship or receive for any purpose an em-
bryo produced by human cloning or any product de-
rived from such embryo.
‘‘(b) IMPORTATION.—It shall be unlawful for any per-
son or entity, public or private, knowingly to import for
any purpose an embryo produced by human cloning, or
any product derived from such embryo.
‘‘(c) PENALTIES.—
‘‘(1) CRIMINAL PENALTY.—Any person or enti-
ty who violates this section shall be fined under this
section or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or
both.
‘‘(2) CIVIL
PENALTY.—Any person or entity
that violates any provision of this section shall be
subject to, in the case of a violation that involves the
derivation of a pecuniary gain, a civil penalty of not
less than $1,000,000 and not more than an amount
equal to the amount of the gross gain multiplied by
2, if that amount is greater than $1,000,000.
‘‘(d) SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.—Nothing in this sec-
tion restricts areas of scientific research not specifically
prohibited by this section, including research in the use
of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce
molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues,
organs, plants, or animals other than humans.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of chapters
for part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
inserting after the item relating to chapter 15 the fol-
lowing:
‘‘16. Human Cloning ..........................................................................
301’’.
Æ