Appendix E. 
203 
n. Proposed 
A. Preambles to the Bills - Hype versus Doom 
Legislators are currently considering bills that govern the 
technologies of cloning or embryo stem cell research. But even when 
the provisions of those bills are narrowly tailored to deal with those 
specific technologies, lawmakers include extensive preambles that 
include sweeping pro-life or pro -biotechnology language. None of 
the bills include a pro-choice preamble. 
A Kentucky bill attempts to fuel a biotechnology sector in the 
state. Its preamble mentions the “great potential" of nuclear 
transplantation to treat “diseases and disorders, including but not 
limited to Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s 
disease, spinal-cord injury, cancer cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, 
rheumatoid arthritis, and many others.”^ Its provisions would 
require anyone engaging in therapeutic cloning to register with the 
health department and pay a $50 fee. The bill also implores public 
colleges in Kentucky to protect “the interest of the Commonwealth or 
the institution relating to all intellectual property and other rights to 
any research, experiments, or other activity related to human nuclear 
transplantation. . . 
On the other hand, some bills’ preambles are designed to 
cast aspersions on the technologies. 'The preamble of a Virginia 
Senate resolution contains a hodge-podge of historical facts (from 
slavery in Virginia 1619 to 1865 to Advanced Cell Technologies 
cloning of an embryo), Presidential statements (from President 
Reagan through President George W. Bush), and concerns about 
eugenics and commodification of humans.^® The resolution would 
^ This research was undertaken in Lexis current session bill text and bill 
text archive for 2002 and 2003, using the words "human cloning," "stem cell 
research," "embryo," “cloning," “tvyhnning," “oocyte," and "somatic cell 
nuclear transfer" in order to locate bills. 
^ KY HB 265. 
“ KYHB 265. 
“WHEREAS, although the “commodification" of human of human beings 
existed in this Commonwealth and the United States from 1619 to 1865, the 
concept of human beings as property has been rejected by Americans in 
their constitution and in their deeply held belief in the value of humcin life; 
and 
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