Sam Brownback: “I urge Members to look at this. Here is the lead organization in the country that one might think is probably most in…”

“I urge Members to look at this. Here is the lead organization in the country that one might think is probably most in favor of patenting clones; yet they state they are opposed to it. By passing this amendment to ban the patenting of human clones, it does not ban, does not stop, does not even slow down the issue of human cloning. That will proceed. The research is allowed. I don't think it should be. I think we should join the House and the President in calling for an end to human cloning. This body has not done that. But this amendment does not address that issue. The only issue in front of the body in this amendment is whether or not the Patent Office will be allowed to patent human embryos and human clones. That is the only issue involved in this amendment--whether or not that patenting will occur. If my amendment passes, we will say: Patent Office, do not allow patents of human clones or embryos, but if people want to continue research on human clones, they can do so. If they want to continue to develop human clones, they can do so. I don't think it is wise or the right thing. I think it should stop, but that is not involved in this amendment. This is strictly about the issue of whether patents can be issued on a human clone. In that sense, it is a very clear issue of the division of what do you think a clone is? A person or property? In our jurisprudence system, it is one or the other--a person or a piece of property.”