H. B. 3144
(By Delegate Leggett, (By Request))
[Introduced March 22, 2005; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto
a new section, designated §61-10-32, relating to the "Human Cloning
Prohibition Act;" providing definitions; and prescribing criminal
penalties for violations of the section.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a
new section, designated §61-10-32, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 10. CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY.
§61-10-32. Human Cloning Prohibition Act; definitions.
(a) This section shall be known and cited as the "Human Cloning
Act."
(b) The following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein,
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Human cloning" means human asexual reproduction accomplished by
introducing the nuclear material of a human somatic cell into a fertilized or
unfertilized oocyte whose nucleus has been removed or inactivated to produce a
living organism (at any stage of development) with a human or predominantly
human genetic constitution;
(2) "Human somatic cell" means a diploid cell (having a complete set
of chromosomes) obtained or derived from a living or deceased human body at any
stage of development;
(3) "Nuclear transplantation" means transferring the nucleus of a
human somatic cell into an oocyte from which the nucleus or all chromosomes have
been or will be removed or rendered inert;
(4) "Nucleus" means the cell structure that houses the chromosomes and
thus the genes; and
(5) "Oocyte" means the female germ cell, the egg.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any person or entity, public or private, to:
(1) Perform or attempt to perform human cloning;
(2) Participate in an attempt to perform human cloning;
(3) Transfer or receive the product of human cloning; and
(4) Transfer or receive, in whole or in part, any oocyte, embryo, fetus or human
somatic cell for the purpose of human cloning.
(d) Nothing in this section shall restrict areas of scientific research not
specifically prohibited by this section, including research in the use of
nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells
other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants or animals other than humans.
(e) (1) Any person or entity that knowingly or recklessly violates the
provisions of this section shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall
be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned in a state
correctional facility for not more than five year, or both, and shall forfeit
any licenses issued by the state, medical legal or otherwise.
(2) Any person or entity that violates any provision of this section and derives
a pecuniary gain from such violation shall be fined one million dollars or twice
the amount of gross gain, or any amount intermediate between the foregoing at
the discretion of the court.
(f) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to any person or
circumstance is found to be unconstitutional, the same is hereby declared to be
severable and the balance of this section shall remain effective notwithstanding
such unconstitutionality. The Legislature hereby declares that it would have
passed this section and each provision thereof, irrespective of the fact that
any provision may be declared unconstitutional.
(g) This section shall take effect and be in force from and after the first day
of July, two thousand five.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit cloning of human beings.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been
omitted.