Human-Animal Hybrids Ban --

Jackass Senators Not Exempt

Reforming health care, nuclear proliferation, an economy still on life support and other nuisance issues could deter the focus of some senators from important things, but not Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas and Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana.

No, those two leaders in a bipartisan display refused distractions and instead co-sponsored the Human-Animal Hybrid Prohibition Act of 2009. Brownback offers information on his website, and Landrieu, perhaps with commendable reticence, on her website search offers only this from 2008.

The act itself is pretty self-explanatory, forbidding laboratory blending of genes between humans and animals.

As with many bold leaders, Brownback and Landrieu find others following their trailblazing path as co-sponsors. According to Brownback’s site, that includes Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY), Richard Burr (R-NC), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jim DeMint (R-SC), John Ensign (R-NV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), James Inhofe (R-OK), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Mel Martinez (R-FL), John McCain (R-AZ), James Risch (R-ID), John Thune (R-SD), David Vitter (R-LA), George Voinovich (R-OH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

That Mary Landrieu is the only Democrat in this Republican herd and also the only woman simply proves that the urge to sponsor a bill like this can transcend issues of gender and party, not to mention common sense.

Or as Brownback puts it on his web site:

"My background is in agriculture, and for a number of years we have been working with crops and animals to produce a superior soy bean, a superior cow, and so-on. We can genetically engineer safe products and herds that are disease resistant or that possess more desirable attributes. But doing this in plants and livestock is very different than doing this in humans.

"The issue is that when you make changes in the germ-line, such changes are passed along to one's offspring. You could make a change now that could be passed along through the gene-pool for the rest of humanity. We do not know what the full effect of this could be, and it could be disastrous.”

Although Senator Brownback is correct that changes in the gene pool can have unintended consequences, we should point out that not all traits – intelligence, for example – necessarily pass from one generation to the next. Or maybe the Senator has made that point.

Since the bill focuses on laboratory efforts, the co-sponsors, many from states with large rural populations and lonely cow or sheep herders, seem to have taken care that What Happens In Pasture Stays In Pasture. And because of that focus, no analysts have suggested it would affect sitting member of Congress, whose link with jackasses and elephants is common knowledge, although no language in the bill specifically exempts Members of Congress from the ban.

Still, the Republic stands more secure when stalwarts such as Brownback, Landrieu et al man the ramparts to see that we do not develop horse sense. To carp that they do so only because they would be unemployed if the public did is to miss the point completely.

###