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Californian Lawmakers Kill Proposed Pet Cloning Ban |
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| USA: May 4, 2005 | ||
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SACRAMENTO - California lawmakers rejected a proposal on Tuesday that would have banned sales of cloned pets, a measure aimed at a San Francisco-area company's bid to replicate beloved family animals for profit.
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Proponents of the measure argued for the pet-clone ban because the technology was unregulated and animal shelters were already filled to capacity with potential pets. The proposed ban came after the first sale of a cloned pet last year by Sausalito, California-based Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. The company revealed in December it had cloned a cat -- named Little Nicky after its progenitor, Nicky -- for a client in Texas for $50,000. The privately held company financed by billionaire John Sperling has said it has other cat clones in various stages of production and is developing a dog-cloning service. A California State Assembly committee rejected the bill after lawmakers raised concern a ban on cloned pets was premature because of uncertainties surrounding the future of the technology. "I believe that the bill is a good candidate for a serious study by experts," said Democrat Gloria Negrete-McLeod. Defeat of the measure came as California moves to set up its own $3 billion publicly financed stem cell research program, the largest pool of public funding in the United States. The pet cloning ban would not have extended to stem cell research, according to its sponsor.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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