This Just In ...

A ban on the issuing of U.S. patents on human embryos was enacted into law on September 16 – the culmination of an eight-year effort in which the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) played a key role.  NRLC is the parent organization of Wisconsin Right to Life.

The pro-life policy was enacted as part of a bill called the “America Invents Act” (H.R. 1249).  The bill, which runs 58 pages in its final form, makes numerous changes to the laws that govern the granting of patents in the United States, which is a function of the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO), part of the Department of Commerce.

A patent is a government-conferred property right that gives an inventor exclusive rights to manufacture or use his invention for a defined period, usually 20 years. The patent holder can license others to employ his patent for a fee, called a royalty.

Early in the year, when it became clear that Congress was likely to take up sweeping revision of the patent laws, NRLC insisted on inclusion of language to codify (make permanent) a previously enacted temporary prohibition on any patents being issued on human embryos.

The key language, as it appears in Section 33 of the enacted measure, reads as follows:  “Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no patent may issue on a claim directed to or encompassing a human organism.”

A similar prohibition was originally proposed by former Congressman Dave Weldon (R-Fl.) in 2003, with the strong support of NRLC, as a amendment to the annual appropriations bill that funds the USPTO.  The House adopted the Weldon provision on July 22, 2003.  There followed a four-month struggle, in which the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) lobbied strenuously against enactment of the ban. 

NRLC fought hard for the Weldon language, arguing that it was one necessary bulwark against the plans of some biotechnology organizations to create an industry based on the creation and manipulation of human embryos.  NRLC and other backers of the Weldon language cited statements by some researchers that they wanted to patent and market human embryos with certain genetic profiles as “models” for studying certain diseases.
       
NRLC and its allies  prevailed, and the Weldon ban was enacted as part of a broad government funding bill in early 2004.

Because the Weldon provision was attached to a one-year appropriations bill, it has been necessary to renew it for each subsequent fiscal year.  While NRLC and other pro-life forces have been successful in fending off attempts to weaken or repeal the annual bans, the long-term goal – now realized – was to codify the ban into permanent law.

Commenting on enactment of the permanent ban today, NRLC’s Douglas Johnson commented, “This law recognizes that human life is not a commodity, and that a member of the human family can never be regarded as a mere invention, or as ‘intellectual property.’”

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, commented, “Unethical researchers and biotechnology companies are willing not only to create and destroy embryonic human beings for research purposes, but even to patent these fellow humans so they can license, market, buy, and sell them as mere commodities.  By prohibiting patents on human organisms, Congress has helped prevent such gross abuses and has taken some of the profit motive out of the drive for human cloning.’

Wisconsin Right to Life congratulates the National Right to Life Committee, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and others in Washington who so tirelessly fought for the permanent ban.

 

Thurs. April 19, 2012

Laura Ingraham - Special Guest Speaker

Laura Ingraham is a nationally syndicated radio host, best-selling author, a regular Fox News contributor and the principal substitute host on The O'Reilly Factor.

More information including her biography can be found here: http://www.wrtl.org/events/educationfunddinner.aspx

The following is an op-ed piece written by Wisconsin Right to Life Executive Director Barbara Lyons that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week.

Legislation to prohibit the sale or use of body parts of aborted unborn babies for research purposes (Assembly Bill 214 / Senate Bill 172) has raised the standard ire and arguments of University of Wisconsin researchers: Limit what we do, and we will threaten to leave the state and create a black hole in the Wisconsin economy.

Through abortion, an unwanted unborn child can be destroyed for any reason. Researchers have added an additional burden the aborted baby must bear. Not only is his/her humanity denied, but if we don't use the baby's remains, others may not be healed or may die, smart people will leave Wisconsin and the Wisconsin economy will be drained.

But is this "catastrophe" real? AB 214/SB 172 only limit research using children who were aborted. It does not prohibit use of miscarried or stillborn babies who die a natural death. From a research standpoint, there are equivalent or better sources of fetal material found in amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and placental tissue with no ethical concerns.

Decades ago, it was believed that only "young" tissues would exhibit long-term growth lines. Adult tissues are now found to be far more effective than initially believed. There are alternatives - and very good ones.

The researchers' "sky is falling" attitude is grossly overstated. If only eight researchers at UW out of hundreds are using fetal tissue from aborted babies, does prohibiting the sale or use of fetal body parts really halt research substantially? When other equivalent or better sources are available?

Using aborted babies for research can create a situation where more pressure can be exercised on the vulnerable woman faced with an unplanned pregnancy, and another "reason" - helping medical science - cited for her to abort. Are women persuaded to abort specifically so that transplant tissues are available for themselves or another family member? Would a woman become pregnant so that her aborted baby can provide fetal tissue for a sibling?

The lesson has been clear throughout the ages: Devalue the humanity of a member of the human family, and any abuse is possible. Today, the unborn child is the least-protected member of the human family. The war on unborn children has escalated dramatically since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision to the point where unborn children are now viewed by researchers as a mere product - not really human to justify what they are doing but valuable nonetheless simply because they are human. They can't have it both ways.

Let's allow researchers the freedom to explore all avenues to improve the human condition. Let's also make certain that it is not at the expense of any member of the human family.

 

Last Thursday night in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, WTMJ Radio host Charlie Sykes delivered an outstanding message to those gathered for one of our Veritas Society events.. Wisconsin Right to Life's Veritas Society saves lives through a statewide television campaign targeting women 18-34, those most likely to have an abortion.

Our latest ad, "Beating Heart," is currently running in Milwaukee, Green Bay, LaCross and Eau Claire.  In 2010, the Veritas Society tested six themes to our target audience, women 18 to 34 years of age who are "on the fence" regarding where they stand on abortion..  The strategy of testing is to learn what appeals to our target audience. When asked which ad concept made them most opposed to abortion, they overwhelmingly chose "Beating Heart." 

You can view all of our Veritas TV ads including "Beating Heart" here: http://www.wrtl.org/tv/index.aspx

The Veritas Society has been reaching minds and hearts though the media for the past 16 years and it is the most successful program of its kind in the nation.

A top legislative priority of Wisconsin Right to Life is to have Wisconsin "opt-out" of certain abortion subsidies related to Obamacare.  There are a number of provisions in Obamacare that would result in the funding and subsidizing of abortion that cannot be altered at this time.  However, there is one area in Obamacare where states can move to protect taxpayers from subsidizing abortion. 

Under Obamacare, states are required to operate and maintain "health insurance exchanges" where people would go to choose their health insurance package. The plans included in the exchanges would receive federal subsidies (your tax dollars) for those individuals who qualify for insurance under the exchanges.  Only in this one area of Obamacare are states are permitted to prohibit coverage of abortions under the health plans offered through the exchanges.  Unless Wisconsin specifically "opts-out" of abortion coverage, abortion will be covered and subsidized by you, the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

We are so grateful that Senator Rich Zipperer (R-Pewaukee) and Assembly Representative Robin Vos (R-Racine) have authored legislation to make sure Wisconsin taxpayers are not subsidizing abortion in the health care exchanges.

The Zipperer/Vos legislation,Senate Bill 92, would opt Wisconsin out of abortion coverage under the health insurance exchanges and is now pending in the State Senate.  Please contact your State Senator and urge him/her to support Senate Bill 92. 

If you do not know who your State Senator is or how to contact him/her, click here: http://www.wrtl.org/find.html and follow the instructions. 

The elected officials who represent you will appear along with their contact information.  Make sure to scroll down to get contact information just for your State Senator.  Your other elected officials will not be voting on this issue.