CITIZEN ALERT v1.196H.R. 977

When I first met my girlfriend Ashley she was preparing to go to law school to study patent law and the human genome. I was like, "what are you talking?" and she explained that companies would be and were already patenting sequences of human DNA. It was the craziest thing I'd ever heard. They were patenting sequences that they didn't even know what they were for yet. What was to come of all this? Designer babies and the licensing of blonde hair? Or was this the only way to further the science industry along to wipe out diseases. It can be argued both ways.

Lo and behold, my congressman, is ahead of the game and is introducing a bill that would BAN the patenting of human genetic material.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about it all. Should we encourage the corporations to use their patents to find new ways to cure us or will they use them for eviiiil!

H. R. 977
To amend title 35, United States Code, to prohibit the patenting of human genetic material.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 9, 2007
Mr. BECERRA (for himself and Mr. WELDON of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary


A BILL
To amend title 35, United States Code, to prohibit the patenting of human genetic material.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Genomic Research and Accessibility Act'.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON PATENT OF HUMAN GENETIC MATERIAL.

(a) In General- Chapter 10 of title 35, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`Sec. 106. Prohibition on patent of human genetic material

`Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may be obtained for a nucleotide sequence, or its functions or correlations, or the naturally occurring products it specifies.'.

(b) Table of Contents- The table of sections of chapter 10 of title 35, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`106. Prohibition on patent of human genetic material.'.

(c) Applicability- The amendment made by subsection (a) shall not apply to a patent issued before the date of the enactment of this Act.