LANSING – Legislation to fill in the gaps left with the passage of a constitutional proposal to permit embryonic stem cell research, which would include regulations and penalties for violations of confidentiality and other issues, Sen. Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) announced Thursday.
George was one of the more public opponents of the embryonic stem cell issue, Proposal 2008-2, during last fall’s election, often appearing in debate to urge voters to reject the proposal. But he said the bills to be introduced would complement the new constitutional proposal, not try to hinder it.
“There is some need for the Legislature to fill in the blanks,” he said at a press conference.
Among the provisions in the six-bill package would be a definition of what constitutes “valuable consideration” which is outlawed in terms of selling or exchanging embryos (Mr. George said the legislation would outlaw, for example, offering free infertility counseling for the donation of an embryo).
The legislation, SB 647 , SB 648 , SB 649 , SB 650 , SB 651 and SB 652 , would also require oversight of research done at private institutions on a similar basis as oversight done over university research.
The main bill, SB 647, also states that research that could “substantially jeopardize” the life or health of a fetus unless it follows the requirements outlined in the proposal.
During the election, George and other opponents of the proposal said if 2008-2 passed it would bar all regulations of embryonic stem cell research. Supporters of the proposal rejected that claim.
Former House Speaker Rick Johnson, who was one of the top supporters of the proposal, said that despite the charges embryonic stem cell research would not be regulated, here were the opponents attempting to regulate it.
He had not had a chance to review the legislation, but he worried this was the first attempt to put restrictions into the research.
Recently, backers of 2008-2 sent out an email to supporters warning of upcoming attempts to limit or gut the proposal. And a Senate official said if the bills become law they would likely be challenged in court.
Right to Life of Michigan came out in support of the bills, saying they would help fulfill the promise supporters made that human embryos would not be created nor sold specifically for embryonic research.
Paul Long, Michigan Catholic Conference vice president, said nothing in the legislation affects the decision of the voters, but provides “needed transparency in the area of human embryo destruction.”
But Johnson said opponents were simply trying to use scare tactics in the legislation.
This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com
a>>
