[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 23 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 23

To provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2013

Mr. Broun of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Palazzo, 
   Mr. Huelskamp, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mr. Terry, Mr. Carter, Mr. 
  Westmoreland, Mr. Farenthold, Mr. Jones, Mr. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. 
   Gibbs, Mr. Gingrey of Georgia, Mrs. Roby, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Ryan of 
Wisconsin, Mr. Conaway, and Mr. Fleming) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

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                                 A BILL


 
To provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization.

    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 ``Sanctity of Human Life Act''.

SEC. 2. DECLARATION.

    In the exercise of the powers of the Congress, including Congress' 
power under article I, section 8 of the Constitution, to make necessary 
and proper laws, and Congress' power under section 5 of the 14th 
article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States--
            (1) the Congress declares that--
                    (A) the right to life guaranteed by the 
                Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the 
                paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and
                    (B) the life of each human being begins with 
                fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, 
                irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, 
                defect, stage of biological development, or condition 
                of dependency, at which time every human being shall 
                have all the legal and constitutional attributes and 
                privileges of personhood; and
            (2) the Congress affirms that the Congress, each State, the 
        District of Columbia, and all United States territories have 
        the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing 
        in its respective jurisdictions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Fertilization.--The term ``fertilization'' means the 
        process of a human spermatozoan penetrating the cell membrane 
        of a human oocyte to create a human zygote, a one-celled human 
        embryo, which is a new unique human being.
            (2) Cloning.--The term ``cloning'' means the process called 
        somatic cell nuclear transfer, that combines an enucleated egg 
        and the nucleus of a somatic cell to make a human embryo.
            (3) Human; human being.--The terms ``human'' and ``human 
        being'' include each and every member of the species homo 
        sapiens at all stages of life, beginning with the earliest 
        stage of development, created by the process of fertilization, 
        cloning, or its functional equivalent.
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