Bills related to ‘life’ issues await Senate action
- Aug 31, 2005
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Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 471/H.R. 810)—The Senate is expected to vote after it reconvenes on this bill that would provide federal funds for stem cell research that destroys embryos. The House of Representatives approved H.R. 810 in a 238-194 vote. President Bush has promised to veto it. Sen. Arlen Specter, R.-Pa., says there will be enough votes in the Senate to override a veto, but House supporters are about 50 votes short of the two-thirds majority required for an override. The bill would liberalize Bush’s stem-cell policy and permit funding for research on embryos that are stored at in vitro fertilization clinics. The President’s rule, announced in August 2001, allows funding for research only on embryonic stem cell lines already in existence prior to his institution of the policy.
Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act (H.R. 2520)—The House voted 431-1 for this pro-life measure, but the Senate has failed to act on it. The bill would authorize $79 million over five years for the collection, testing and storage of stem cells from umbilical cord blood. While embryonic stem cells have yet to produce therapies in human beings, non-embryonic stem cells—such as those in cord blood—have provided treatments for at least 65 maladies, including spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and sickle cell anemia.
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R. 748)—The House passed this pro-life, pro-family bill by a 270-157 vote. A similar Senate bill, the Child Custody Protection Act (S. 8), has not received a vote. This legislation would outlaw the transportation of a minor by a non-parental adult to another state for an abortion when the girl’s home state requires parental notification or consent.
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (S. 51/H.R. 356)—Neither house has voted on this effort to make certain women are able to receive information about the pain their unborn children will experience if they undergo late-term abortions. The bill would require an abortion doctor to provide a woman at least 20 weeks pregnant with scientific evidence about the severe pain her unborn child would experience during the procedure. If the woman still decides to have an abortion, the doctor would have to offer anesthesia for her unborn baby in order to reduce his pain. NARAL Pro-choice America, one of the country’s leading abortion-rights organizations, withdrew its opposition to the legislation earlier this year.
RU 486 Suspension and Review Act (S. 511/H.R. 1079)—Congress also has not acted on this legislation, which would halt sale of the infamous French abortion drug while the U.S. comptroller general reviews the process by which the Food and Drug Administration approved it. RU 486, or mifepristone, is used as the first part of a process normally occurring in the first seven weeks of pregnancy. That initial action causes the lining of the uterus to release the embryonic child. A second drug, known as misoprostol, is taken two days after mifepristone and causes the uterus to contract, expelling the baby. Since the FDA approved the sale of RU 486 in 2000, at least five women in North America have died after using the two-step regimen
Human Cloning Prohibition Act (S. 658/H.R. 1357)—This proposal would ban cloning for both reproductive and research purposes. Other measures labeled as cloning bans would not prohibit the cloning of embryos for experimentation. In two previous Congresses, the House has approved the bill without the Senate acting on it. Neither house has voted on the legislation this year.
Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act (S. 609/H.R. 1353)—This bill, which has yet to be acted on, would call on healthcare providers who announce a positive test for Down syndrome or another condition to pregnant women to refer them to support services and to provide them with the latest information on the life expectancy of children with the diagnosed condition, their mental and physical development, and treatment options.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (S. 306/H.R. 1227)—The Senate passed this measure in a 98-0 vote, but there has been no action in the House. The bill would restrict insurance companies from using genetic information to deny coverage or charge higher premiums to people who are healthy but may have genes that predispose them to an illness. It also would bar employers from using such knowledge in hiring, firing and other employment decisions. Privacy and confidentiality protections would be extended to genetic data.
Further Learning
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