News Release: Catholic Conference Offers Support for Embryo Research Transparency Legislation

(LANSING)—Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy Paul A. Long offered the Conference’s support for a bipartisan package of bills introduced today that promotes transparency in human embryo research:

“The voters of Michigan spoke last November in support of Proposal 2, and from the Conference’s perspective nothing in this package of bills affects the will of the people. The bills do, however, provide much needed transparency in the area of human embryo destruction in Michigan. A key component of the package mirrors an acceptable provision of recently proposed federal guidelines pertaining to human embryo research, specifically that which ensures human embryos cannot be created solely for the purpose of destruction.

“Prohibiting the trafficking of cloned human embryos into Michigan, prohibiting the creation of human-animal chimeric embryos, and requiring researchers to report how many human embryos are retained in storage, further represent common sense measures that should be widely supported in the legislature and the general public. That both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate have already offered their support for these measures, combined with the fact that nothing in this package of bills reverses the outcome of Proposal 2, should allow for Michigan to take its first step toward transparency in human embryo research.”

Senate Bills 647–652 were introduced today and referred to the Senate Health Policy Committee. Identical legislation is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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