Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 2001?

FIELD(letterdate) FIELD(nameline) FIELD(title) FIELD(organization 1 ) FIELD(organization2) FIELD(addressl) FIELD(address2) FIELD(address3 ) FIELD(address4) IFNOTBLANK(city)FIELD(city), FIELD(state) FIELD(zip9)ENDIF Dear FIELD(salutation2b): Thank you for contacting me regarding the cloning of human embryos and federal funding of stem cell experiments for scientific research. I benefit by learning of your views on these serious issues. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and as Co-Chair of the 95-member bipartisan Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, I have spent a great deal of time reviewing these issues over the last several months. They are complicated, and I continue to analyze their scientific and ethical implications. Because the issue of cloning of human embryos is different from federal funding of stem cell research, I want to take this opportunity to discuss the respective issues, the federal role for each, and share with you my views. Cloning of Human Embryos Cloning is no longer science fiction. In February, 1 997 scientists in Scotland successfully cloned a sheep, Dolly, and spurred a worldwide controversy regarding the ethical, moral, and social implications for humanity. The creation of Dolly was the first time scientists were able to reproduce a genetic replica of a full grown adult animal. The cloning technology involved in the creation of Dolly, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, is directly applicable to the potential cloning of human beings. Further, the basic technology of somatic cell nuclear transfer offers vast potential for therapeutic treatment of many crippling diseases, including juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and spinal cord injuries. Somatic cell nuclear transfer involves the fusing of two cells. The first cell, the somatic cell, can be taken from almost any specialized organ cell in adults and children. The cell contains the complete genetic code for an individual. The second cell, an egg cell, has its genetic information removed and the genetic code from the somatic cell inserted. The newly fused