TORONTO — A bill that bans human cloning and sets guidelines on stem cell research won approval Oct. 28 in Canada’s House of Commons, according to the Associated Press. The chamber voted 149-109 to send the measure to the Senate for review. With Parliament expected to end its session as soon as Nov. 7, it was unclear if the bill would pass in time. The measure would create the nation’s first regulations for reproductive technology such as cell cloning and embryonic research.
It would prohibit human cloning or creation or human-animal hybrids, and allow research on human embryos left over from in-fertility treatments.
Other provisions ban identifying the sex of an embryo except for medical reasons such as sex-linked disorders, purchasing and selling human sperm and eggs, or paying a woman to be a surrogate mother.
“It’s a growing area that calls out for regulation,’’ Health Minister Anne McLellan told AP.
Anti-abortion groups oppose the measure because it would allow limited embryonic research. They intend to seek amendments in the Senate that could prevent the proposal from getting final Parliament approval this year.
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