Stem Cell & Cloning Related Laws

Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning is effectively banned in the state of Louisiana!

If you have visited our educational pages on embryonic stem cell research (hESCR), you would have learned that hESCR is divided into two:

  1. ESCR on embryos created via human cloning.
  2. ESCR on IVF “leftover” embryos.

We have two laws on the books in the state of Louisiana that effectively ban all of embryonic stem cell research!  Here is a synopsis of both:

Cloning out of Business in LA

In 2008, after a five year struggle at the Capitol in Baton Rouge over legislation regarding human cloning, HB 370 was passed to prohibit all public funding of human cloning in LA.  This mean that both state and federal money cannot be used in LA to fund human cloning, whether it is used for the purpose of biomedical research (embryonic stem cell research) or for the implantation in surrogate and production of children.

Since private funding of human cloning has dried up due to the unsuccessfulness of hESCR and the onset of new ethical and successful stem cell research, we have effectively banned cloning in LA with a ban on public funding of human cloning.

The text of the bill has not been transferred into law yet on the State’s website.  We will get it when it comes out!

Protection of IVF “Leftover” Embryos

In 1986, a law was passed that protects embryos created through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) respects the fertilized ovum (embryo) as a “separate” “juridical person” and a “biological” human being with certain rights. We link the specific sections below that define embryo in this way.

This law protects embryos created through IVF from destruction and use in embryonic stem cell research.

*LARTL takes no position on the ethical nature of In Vitro Fertilization.