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OH Senate Passes Bill Banning Human-Animal Hybrids
An anonymous reader writes "The sci-fi movie Splice seems to have scared the Ohio's State Senator Steve Buehrer. The Ohio Senate has passed Sen. Buehrer's bill banning 'the creation, transportation, or receipt of a human-animal hybrid, the transfer of a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, and the transfer of a human embryo into a nonhuman womb.' So much for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
... From upset sheep farmers in Wyoming.
would be friggin awesome
While they are at it, why not ban cloaking devices and disruptors.
The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
Can we still develop monkeys with three asses?
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Perhaps he should be watching V from the early 1980's and then he would have reason to be scared.
Why was taxpayer money spent making and passing such a bill?
No pig heart valves for you then when your own stops working.
Having a pig's valve in the heart count as a hybrid? What about anyone born elsewhere who's had animal genome spliced into them to give advantageous traits in the future?
Silly..
What about the use of animals to grow human organs such as ears, hearts, limbs... to replace those lost due to accident, or birth defect?
also, captcha win: "extras"
I always find these utterly useless laws funny at the state level. What prevents a gene-splicer from creating, transporting, or receiving a human-animal hybrid in neighboring Michigan?
While they're at it, and worried about Sci-Fi possibilities:
- Ban aliens from invading.
- Ban research into Warp Drive or Teleportation
- Ban Stargates from being used
- Ban Zombies
This list could go on forever, unless they ban Infiinity in Ohio.
Why was taxpayer money spent making and passing such a bill?
Because when you can't tackle real problems, you have to be able to point out how you're "defending traditional values", no matter how absurd the legislation.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came about not from the hybridization of humans and (other) animals, but from exposure to the mutagenic compound known as "the ooze".
I can't believe I let an Idle summary troll me.
Alien-human hybrids.
Feel free to mod me down, just know that unlike some Anonymous Cowards I'm not afraid to express my views as myself.
Whether you agree with the bill or not, it will have an effect:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.html; link from wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)
The rabbit/human embryo mentioned there falls under 3701.95.A.1.e. of the bill: "an embryo produced by introducing a human nucleus into a nonhuman egg".
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
So much for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The ninja turtles were mutants, not hybrids!
Don't ban manimals!
the growth in cynicism and rebellion has not been without cause
Weren't the TMNT caused by an accident (radioactive spill from a truck) anyway?
Unless this law also prohibits the transportation of mutantigenic compounds, then it wouldn't outlaw a legally produced TMNT.
I was under the impression that the spill was due to an illegal cargo anyway, so realistically, a law wouldn't do much anyway.
----- The internet has given everyone the ability to have their voice heard equally as loud.. even if they shouldn't be
It's not only moral reasons that make a ban wise. A hybrid species can become a bridge species for disease. Imagine diseases like bird flu that never entirely crossed the species barrier? A bridge species would make it easier for it to adapt. Diseases that humans are resistant to could adapt to humans potentially leading to millions of deaths and an ongoing threat since few diseases go extinct they simply keep evolving until the next outbreak. The moral issues should be enough for most people even ignoring Hollywood horror films but practical reasons like disease are a serious concern.
A living womb, human or animal, was never involved. It was created in a dish and grown in an artificial incubator.
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of furries suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
But human-machine hybrids are still perfectly legal, right? Otherwise I'm going to have to give up my corrective lenses...
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
You know... there was a time when I would have thought this bill was a no-brainer and should be passed in every country. But recently, reading the Hyperion 4 part series by Dan Simmons changed my mind about that. Well, it at least got me thinking a little deeper about this.
Sounds pretty simple at first; but what about transplants?
For example, would this ban using a pig's heart valve from being transplanted into a person? I had a family member who had this done!
Where do you draw the line? A whole heart? A heart AND a liver AND a lung?
Who decides where the line is? And what's to keep the line from moving? And do we even want to keep it from moving?
I can think of arguments for all of these.
I guess banning the creation is ok, but banning the transportation is clearly against the human rights of such manimals.
Hey don't blame me, IANAB
accident is cover up for Toxic waste dumping.
Guess they're going to have to shut down laboratory 5.
What guy wouldn't want a horses dick? Yeah - you would limit who you can date but talk about a show stopper at a meeting when you whip it out and slap it on the table when you don't have an answer.
L'esperienza de questa dolce vita (The experience of this sweet life) - Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
.. I bet IBM already has a patent on it.
In a pig's eye!
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
"Because when you can't tackle real problems, you have to be able to point out how you're "defending traditional values", no matter how absurd the legislation."
As someone who grew up in Ohio and recently escaped that life sucking black hole...I completely agree. This is just one of the "way out there" legislation that happens there. Heaven forbid they actually do something to attract business back. All this going on while the governor and other state level politicians are robbing the Taxpayers blind, buying a massive coin collection with taxpayer money for example, and don't see jail time.
I'm frankly horrified that this would seem to outlaw an artificial (non-living) uterus that could save the life of an embryo.
Surely the issue is recognizing and protecting the distinction between pure humans and all genetic freaks?
Hint to the Legacy Media: that's a question you should be asking the namby-pamby wishy-washy liberal OH Senate.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
The law does not define what is human, other then by the generic description of "homo sapiens" How about a fully artificial set of chromosomes from a computer database created in a lab? Without a VERY clear definition of human, that we currently don't have, these type of laws are useless. Is someone with downs syndrome human? they have a extra whole chromosome. How about someone who gets infected with a retrovirus. They now have a mix of human and virus DNA. How about people who are XXY, XXYY, XYY or other sexual genetic abnormalities? We share a LARGE portion of our DNA with everything from monkeys, dogs, mice, insects and even flowers. First define "Human", and by then many humans will be mixed with "animals" to make the laws worthless and conflict with the bill of rights along with many other laws. People, mostly the very religious, just don't want the understanding that "human" is just another kind of specialized animal.
This is a form of specism against cat-women :-(
But maybe is a good idea :-/
-Woof woof woof!
"transfer of a human embryo into a nonhuman womb"
Good Job, Steve. You must not want future human fertility treatments.
I thought humans were animals. Are humans not allowed to breed anymore?
For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
Does this include baby Jesus?
just askin'
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
Sorry, my monkey man. You'll have to wait.
Human/machine hybrids.
Mommeee, I wanna be a cyborg!
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
God, schmod. i want my monkey man!
While it is probably not yet possible to create a breeding animal-human hybrid, the idea should be considered seriously. There are numerous implications for society as a whole. Would such a person be treated a sub-class without rights? What purpose would they have?
Science fiction writers, as is the norm, have dealt with such issues for many years, exploring various outcomes, both good and bad.
I suggest for your edification:
Human/animal hybrids created for combat - what happens after the war?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreau_series
Gene-modified humans designed for work in zero gravity (four arms and no legs)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorkosigan_Saga#Falling_Free
Gene-modified humans designed to work on very high gravity worlds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Pirates_Series
Yes, the stories are science fiction. However, science fiction isn't just test tubes and electronics. It is the interaction of people in a futuristic environment. Consider the fact that 30 years ago, no one thought it would be possible to create a replicating cell from scratch. 60 years ago, the double helix of DNA was unknown.
What is science fiction now, might be reality next week.
the law seems to forbid human hybrids with other mammals. That leaves a huge area of potential nobel prize research for human hybrids with funguses, reptiles, invertebrates (bugs, jellyfish, worms) and plants, without even having to put out the call through seti for extraterrestrial volunteers.
this cups not half empty, it's half full!
Victory for Al Gore!
I'm super serial!
if (it != oneThing) it = another;
This is not a cat-dog or a flying gerbil, but a cross between a sentient being and another animal. If you can't get over the "gee, wouldn't it be cool to create anime-style cat girls" and see what you're really doing, you are morally stunted at the level of a small child. In the best case scenario, you end up with a mostly human (in appearance) hybrid that has some chance of a normal life. In the more likely scenario, you are purposefully creating a deformed, damaged sentient life form that has no hope of a normal life, including no mate of its own kind.
But, it's done in the name of science, so somehow that makes it more noble than it really is and automatically negates the arguments of those who call it playing God...
What if the cure for cancer was found and based on a rat gene? (Rats are so cancer prone, I doubt it, but you never know.)
What if an artificial womb was developed that can deal with extreme medical emergencies? (Mother dying of car crash and baby/embryo way too premature, or mother infected with horrible disease, or going to die of cancer without treatment that would abort the pregnancy, etc) (ie, not convenient party slut excuse)
Just because some stupid politician got freak out by a distillation of "The Island of Doctor Moreau", he scares up support for a bill to ban what he feels is the worst thing possible (even though there's no way it'll happen in less than a 160 years), with no regards to everything else he's banning, and the lives he's dooming to pain/death because of his irrational fears.
Unless he's just afraid of furries, in which case he's still a douche that should be buried under a yiff pile. (That is what they call it, right?)
Heck, I'd pin on a tail and ears everytime I was near him just to see him freak, or get pissed. The stupid with power need to be dealt with.
Why do you insist that the human genetic code is "sacred" or "taboo"? It is a chemical process and nothing more. For that matter -we- are chemical processes and nothing more. If you deny yourself a useful tool simply because it reminds you uncomfortably of your mortality, you have uselessly and pointlessly crippled yourself.
They are more concerned about passing this law than passing medical marijuana.
It's a shame DC has passed the law and Ohio is still dragging their feet on the issue.
I have a cow valve in my heart. My knees are both synthetic and I use cloned insulin daily. Am I now illegal?
... to synthesize and insert an entire genome. No "transferring" of anything. So go ahead and outlaw ALL genetic manipulation Ohio, because that's what it's gonna take.
Good. I can still get my Tomacco.
Arizona is working on it as well - the bill is supported by the Bioethics Defense Fund, the Arizona Catholic Conference, and members of the 40 Days for Life Campaign.
Sure, the hardware is bad-ass, but biomod is cooler.
children receiving primate organs to save their lives (they tried this once or twice), I have to say this type of law scares me. First of all, it's hollywood. Do Ohioans elect uneducated children? Next on the trailer is a ban on Ghostbuster proton packs right? Please tell me your leadership has the common sense of my border collie.
Right, so the one problem with xenografts is that the animal genetics are so different that they produce a massive immune response. But suppose we take say pigs and introduce human genes through genetic modification. Theoretically you could create a pig with genetics close enough to a human to not produce as much of an immune response. (Closer to a human-human transplant.) Why we would want to completely ban this idea when we would hopefully be able to use it to grow organs for everybody who needs one is beyond me. (Especially since you'd basically grow the organs on a farm by raising pigs instead of some hi tech organ generate or some nonsense.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
I thought that the DNA of two (or more) different species had to be mixed into a single organism to be considered a hybrid in this context.
The ear-on-a-mouse looks like an example of a temporary graft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manimal ?
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Remind me to stay the hell away from a state like OH. Gene splicing might provide us cures to thousands of diseases, and OH just killed that. One more state to add to the hate list, along with NY, TX, AL, MS, VI, AK.
Where is the mod rating for "scary"? Also,
Let me guess. The didn't bother defining the word 'hybrid', did they?
If so, then you wouldn't be allowed to implant even a single gene from an animal into a human embryo.
Technoli
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-animal-chimeras or http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.html As a matter of fact, there is a controversy over a related patent that was issued in 1999 (google EP 380646). Canada has already passed national legislation with regards to this issue. This is not fiction, folks. Nor does the legislator deserve to be mocked for the concern he has on the issue. I haven't read the bill, so there may well be good reason to deride this law ... but not because the concern is over something fictitious.
We have the same thing here in Arizona as well. http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2010/03/02/wtf-lawmakers-no-more-creating-goat-people
To myself and many other slashdotters' relief, this law, and others like it in many U.S. states only bans the creation of human/animal, not human/machine hybrids or fully synthetic life. So while the minotaur and the mermaid are right out, this will not dampen further innovation in the field of cybernetics and robotics.
In other words, your girl robot is still safe...
I am a molecular genetisist...UC Davis, class of 2001. Just stating my credentials.
There is research going on world-wide that involve using hybrid genomes. My own company injects human immune system genes into mice embryos in order to create mice that produce human antibodies. This sort of transgenic research is common place in the entire spectrum of animal research. By definition the mice we create, or the pigs with human circulatory system gene modifications, or zebrafish with human neuron genes, or rats with human breast cancer promoters... all are human-animal hybrid creations that would be banned by this sort of law. Dozens, if not hundreds, of species of research animals have been crossed in one way or another with human genes. Or vice-versa as solutions to human deficiencies are found in animal genomes for the purpose of gene therapy. Ohio is effectively killing their own biotech industry with this sort of law.
I agree there is an ethical line that needs to watched here. Long before human-embryo research was actually banned in the US, biotechs had already gotten around the restriction by taking the human genome and injecting it into an animal oocyte. This creates a human-animal hybrid in which the genome is human but the *original* cellular machinery is animal. As the egg cell divides, the human genomic instructions are used for the cellular machinery production and the organism basically becomes, for all intents and purposes, a human embryo. This obviously skirts both the strict letter and the intent of the original laws.
Personally, I don't have much of a problem with this sort of research, provided that the development is terminated well before they become anything resembling a human, i.e. by the 6th week or so. I don't support a hard ban though, if suitably justified to an ethics board that would need to be created to handle any such research petitions.
Its cruel and unusual to pass a law preventing Michelangelo from banging April to create a Human-Mutant-Ninja-Turtle wielding two digital cameras tied together with links of chain.
Its crazy but true some animals like cows and buffallow can hookup to create beefallows..yum!!
Two parts to the remedy, one is to consume more foods wit Sulphor and the other is Consume more absorbable Magnesium foods to Boron, and after a week of changed diet you should do some easy aerobics that stress your pulmonary action. Then get onto stationary-bicycle riding for 5 miles a day or until you sweat twice.
Sulphur: raw cabbage
Magnesium: black-beans, heirloom red onions (not purple or white), spinnach.
Boron: nuts, non-hydrogenated peanut butter.
....is one reason Ohio has a sub-par economy. When you outlaw potentially new and innovative technologies in their infancy, you keep real money and jobs from making their way in. Not that the state has much to recommend it in the first place (sorry Ohio-ans) but in this kind of economy one would hope that a state would catch as catch can.
. . . against nature: if their Senate was allowed to breed with their Supreme Court -- http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/06/03/2133222/Guess-My-Speed-and-Give-Me-a-Ticket-In-Ohio. Perhaps it is too late -- http://science.slashdot.org/story/05/07/09/0544230/Genetic-Research-In-The-Heart-of-Amish-Country.
We get absolute crap on the front page sometimes, but this, which really seems like a serious and semi-thought-out legislative act related to science, is considered Idle.
WTF?
The preferred solution is to not have a problem.
What about inserting individual genes (from humans) into animals to see how they work? Isn't a lot of research done that way? Example in today's news: http://www.physorg.com/news194796686.html
Do they want to ban Mushroom People like in the movie Matango?
The fungus among us!
-Eric
Great, they just outlawed everything from gene therapy to cure cancer using a sequence which was discovered or tested in animals, to using pig valves for heart repair, to wearing leather goods if you wanted to stretch it ad absurdum. Go Ohio.
Keep your redneck laws out of our ethics, please. Hell, keep your politics out of our ethics. Y'all politicians aren't exactly paragons of ethical behavior, to be telling the rest of us what's right and wrong about anything - much less, things you obviously don't understand in the slightest.
In this world gone mad, you don't spank the monkey, the monkey spanks you.
First they try to ban the teaching of evolution and now they want to ban actual intelligent design? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY!
-Riskable
"Those who choose proprietary software will pay for their decision!"
Human IS an animal!
Did you mean cross-species? Because humans are oh-so-special?
Another thing that we will give up in the future...
Especially when we may once have contact with other planets. Because that is one level further. And if that would be OK, it would be much more normal to do it with a species from your *own* planet.
Not that I understand what’s supposed to be so appealing about it...
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Too bad so many of our legislators are ignorant of science and scared of the benefits.
Turn out the lights and leave them in the dark.
[Generic joke about growing my genital in a senator's mother is now banned]
Now I'm howling mad!
Dave
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. --Martin Luther King Jr.
The Ohio Senate has not succumbed to the stupidity pandemic sweeping the state. This is a conscious strategy to avoid voting the apportionment reform bill. "In the last few elections, an almost equal number of voters statewide voted for Republicans and Democrats. Yet our state Senate has a 2-1 Republican tilt. And that enables them to rush through legislation prior to recessing banning the development of human/animal hybrids — a problem that, you know, doesn't actually EXIST in Ohio right now." Anastasia Pantsios in Ohio Daily Blog http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/
--So now I'm not allowed in Ohio?! Racists!!!
Do senator's really not have anything better to do with their days than this?