[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1373 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1373

   To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human chimeras.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 11, 2005

 Mr. Brownback introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit human chimeras.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Human Chimera Prohibition Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) advances in research and technology have made possible 
        the creation of chimeras, which are beings with diverse human 
        and non-human tissue;
            (2) serious ethical objections are raised to some types of 
        chimeras because they blur the lines between human and animal, 
        male and female, parent and child, and one individual and 
        another individual;
            (3) respect for human dignity and the integrity of the 
        human species may be threatened by chimeras;
            (4) the uniqueness of individual human beings is manifested 
        in a particular way through their brain and their reproductive 
        organs/cells; and
            (5) with an increase in emerging zoonotic infection 
        threatening the public health, both domestically and abroad, 
        chimeras present a particularly optimal means of genetic 
        transfers that could increase the efficiency or virulence of 
        diseases threatening both humans and animals.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON HUMAN CHIMERAS.

    (a) In General.--Part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting after chapter 15 the following:

                      ``CHAPTER 16--HUMAN CHIMERAS

``Sec.
``301. Definitions.
``302. Prohibition on human chimeras.
``Sec. 301. Definitions
    ``In this chapter the following definitions apply:
            ``(1) Human chimera.--The term `human chimera' means--
                    ``(A) a human embryo into which a non-human cell or 
                cells (or the component parts thereof) have been 
                introduced to render its membership in the species Homo 
                sapiens uncertain through germline or other changes;
                    ``(B) a hybrid human/animal embryo produced by 
                fertilizing a human egg with non-human sperm;
                    ``(C) a hybrid human/animal embryo produced by 
                fertilizing a non-human egg with human sperm;
                    ``(D) an embryo produced by introducing a non-human 
                nucleus into a human egg;
                    ``(E) an embryo produced by introducing a human 
                nucleus into a non-human egg;
                    ``(F) an embryo containing haploid sets of 
                chromosomes from both a human and a non-human life 
                form;
                    ``(G) a non-human life form engineered such that 
                human gametes develop within the body of a non-human 
                life form; or
                    ``(H) a non-human life form engineered such that it 
                contains a human brain or a brain derived wholly or 
                predominantly from human neural tissues.
            ``(2) Human embryo.--The term `human embryo' means an 
        organism of the species Homo sapiens during the earliest stages 
        of development, from 1 cell up to 8 weeks.
``Sec. 302. Prohibition on human chimeras
    ``(a) In General.--It shall be unlawful for any person to 
knowingly, in or otherwise affecting interstate commerce--
            ``(1) create or attempt to create a human chimera;
            ``(2) transfer or attempt to transfer a human embryo into a 
        non-human womb;
            ``(3) transfer or attempt to transfer a non-human embryo 
        into a human womb; or
            ``(4) transport or receive for any purpose a human chimera.
    ``(b) Penalties.--
            ``(1) In general.--Whoever violates subsection (a) shall be 
        fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or 
        both.
            ``(2) Civil penalty.--Whoever violates subsection (a) and 
        derives pecuniary gain from such violation shall be subject to 
        a civil fine of the greater of $1,000,000 and an amount equal 
        to the amount of the gross gain multiplied by 2.''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.

    The table of chapters for part I of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter 15 the 
following:

``16. Human chimeras........................................     301''.
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