Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced the legislation as an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act. It was co-sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). The amendment failed after a 49-48 vote.
This amendment to the Endless Frontier Act would have banned the creation of human-animal chimeras (organisms that contain both human cells and cells from an animal). If the amendment was written into law, researchers attempting to make human-animal chimeras, transfer a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, or transfer a human embryo into a non-human womb could have faced up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine of at least one million dollars.
“Human life is distinct and sacred, and research that creates an animal-human hybrid or transfers a human embryo into an animal womb or vice versa should be completely prohibited, and engaging in such unethical experiments should be a crime,” said Senator Braun in a statement.
National Right to Life and many other pro-life organizations endorsed the proposed amendment.
This issue has become more important recently, as scientists recently created the first-ever human/monkey embryos. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health is considering whether it will dissolve a rule which bans scientists from keeping human embryos alive for lab testing for more than 14 days.
