Legislative findings and purpose — Public policy. [Effective January 1, 2020.]

  1. Law
  2. Arkansas Code
  3. Public Health and Welfare
  4. Health and Safety
  5. Reproductive Health
  6. Prohibition of Public Funding of Human Cloning and Destructive Embryo Research Act [Effective January 1, 2020.]
  7. Legislative findings and purpose — Public policy. [Effective January 1, 2020.]

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  1. (a) The General Assembly finds that:

    1. (1) The prospect of creating new human life solely to be exploited or destroyed has been condemned on moral grounds as displaying a profound disrespect for a human life;

    2. (2) Destructive human embryo research reduces the status of human embryos to a mere means for possible benefit for another person;

    3. (3) The moral justification of medical or scientific research cannot be based upon the dehumanizing and utilitarian premise that the ends justify any means;

    4. (4) Research and development of therapeutic cloning and methods to ethically obtain adult stem cells have contributed valuable therapeutic advancements and improved patient health and have proven more promising than research involving the destruction or exploitation of human embryos as a therapeutic means;

    5. (5) Recent and promising advances in reprogramming human cells to behave as if in an embryonic state render controversial cloned human embryos unnecessary for use in destructive embryo research;

    6. (6) Cloning embryos and destructive embryo research require human egg cells which are very expensive to obtain;

    7. (7) Harvesting human egg cells also creates significant health risks to a woman, including without limitation:

      1. (A) Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome;

      2. (B) Damage to internal organs or blood vessels;

      3. (C) Infertility;

      4. (D) Depression; and

      5. (E) Death;

    8. (8) Harvesting human egg cells for research contributes to the commoditization and exploitation of women;

    9. (9) Public opinion is divided over the deeply conflicting moral and ethical concerns:

      1. (A) Related to payments to women for access to human egg cells; and

      2. (B) Surrounding the creation and destruction of human embryos; and

    10. (10) Providing public funding of destructive embryo research would be a misuse of revenue collected by the state.

  2. (b) Based on the findings in this section, the purpose of this subchapter is to further the important and compelling state interest of:

    1. (1) Respecting life and fostering a culture of life;

    2. (2) Directing public expenditures:

      1. (A) Away from funding research that has not yielded significant scientific contributions or benefit to patients; and

      2. (B) Toward funding research that has already made significant contributions to patients; and

    3. (3) Relieving the consciences of taxpayers who:

      1. (A) Are concerned about the possible exploitation of women that may result from payment for human egg cells; and

      2. (B) Object to human cloning and destructive embryo research.

  3. (c) Public funding of human cloning and destructive embryo research, including embryonic stem cell research, is against the public policy of this state.


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