Print Issue: March 14, 2002

Georgia Senators Urged To Back Ban On Human Cloning

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

ATLANTA-With a backdrop of supporters holding signs and wearing T-shirts that said "Stop Human Cloning," leaders of Georgia's pro-life movement called on Sens. Max Cleland and Zell Miller to support a total ban on human cloning March 7.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Christian Coalition of Georgia and Georgia Right to Life jointly sponsored the press conference at the state Capitol. They urged support for S. bill 1899, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, which would ban cloning for both reproductive and what is known as "therapeutic" purposes. Miller, one of two Democratic senators from Georgia, is a co-sponsor of S. bill 1758, legislation that would ban "reproductive cloning," but allow cloning for medical research purposes to continue. Cleland is currently undecided regarding the legislation.

Mary Boyert, director of the Pro-Life Office of the archdiocese, addresses gathered media representatives at the state Capitol on the current human cloning bill before Congress. Boyert, along with members of Georgia Right to Life and the Christian Coalition of Georgia, urged the public to tell their representatives to vote no on the current cloning bill, S. 1758, before the Senate. They urged support for Senate Bill 1899, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, which would ban cloning for both reproductive and what is known as "therapeutic" purposes. Zell Miller, one of two Democratic senators from Georgia, is a co-sponsor of S. bill 1758, legislation that would ban "reproductive cloning," but allow cloning for medical research purposes to continue. (Photo by Linda Schafer/ Archdiocese of Atlanta)

At the press conference, Sadie Fields, president of the Christian Coalition of Georgia, said allowing human cloning of any kind goes against the government's goal to "protect human life."

"We understand the desire to ease suffering and find treatments for those with life threatening disease," she told reporters. "But producing human life only to destroy it in research-which is a primary object of human cloning-is immoral, unethical and should be completely banned."

Mary Boyert, director of the archdiocesan Pro-Life Office, said that it was "inevitable" that cloning research would lead to abortions.

"Eventually the research will ask for (cloned embryos) to be implanted in women," she said, "and they will have to undergo abortions to enforce the ban" on cloning for reproductive purposes.

"The bill (Sen. Miller) is supporting now would allow human cloning . . . It would require a human being who has been formed to be killed."

Boyert also told reporters that the effort to stop human cloning must be a joint one.

"The people of Georgia support this, the whole Archdiocese of Atlanta supports this, and Catholic parishes throughout the archdiocese have made a mass effort to contact Sen. Miller," she said. "I urge everyone to work together to support this ban. This is not a religious issue. This is a human issue."

However, on the religious side, Georgia Right to Life president Caryl Swift said that it is not the responsibility of humans to create life.

"Along with 86 percent of Americans, Georgia Right to Life opposes the deliberate creation of individual human lives for the purpose of destroying them for medical research," she said. "God is the giver of life and he alone has the divine authority to create life. We strongly support a total ban on all forms of human cloning because the creation of human beings specifically for experimentation, no matter how good the intentions, is a violation of the most basic American values."

Carolyn Garcia, legislative director of GRTL, called cloning an individual for the purpose of experimentation "sinister."

"Society would be better served to encourage the scientific community to direct its knowledge and efforts in ways that will help all mankind and not in ways to being instruments of destruction and death."

Also speaking at the press conference in support of the total ban on human cloning were Steve Stancil, candidate for lieutenant governor, and state Sen. Mike Beatty.

Press conferences were held in cities across Georgia, including Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Columbus and Brunswick, to raise voter awareness.

A date for the vote on S. Bill 1899 has not yet been set.

To contact Cleland, write to Sen. Max Cleland (D), 461 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. To reach his office by phone, call (202)-224-3521. Letters can be faxed to (202) 224-0072. E-mail Sen. Cleland at senator_max_cleland@cleland.senate.gov.

To contact Miller, write to Sen. Zell Miller (D), 257 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. To reach his office by phone, call (202) 224-3643. Letters can be faxed to (202) 228-2090. E-mail Miller through his Web site at miller.senate.gov.