Published February 20, 2007 State Sen. Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines, represents District 30 in the Iowa Senate. The district includes West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights. Ward can be reached at 281-3371 or pat.ward@ legis.state.ia.us. Share your photos Take your digital camera along to a community event and show other readers what took place and what you enjoyed about the festivities. Tell us who is in the picture, where they live and where the photo was taken. E-mail pictures to zonephotos@dmreg.com. For the best quality, send photos at 200 dpi (dots per inch). Ward: She voted against stem cell bill BY PAT WARD SENATE DISTRICT 30 Last week the Senate passed legislation that removed Iowa's ban on human cloning. I voted against the bill, but struggled to reach my decision because of my strong support for continued scientific research to find cures for devastating disease. I ultimately concluded that scientific research in Iowa will continue to advance without going down the slippery slope toward human cloning. This change in policy challenges our way of thinking about the ethics of science. Currently Iowa law does not restrict research on embryonic stem cells, it simply bans human cloning. And, while Iowa has historically banned human cloning, this bill not only lifts that ban but changes the definition of human cloning. The current ban on cloning does not allow new embryos to be created for research involving cloning. The current Iowa Code says that it is illegal to clone anything, receive a cloned anything or participate in cloning activities such as "somatic cell nuclear transfer," the technical name for human cloning. What supporters of this bill do not want you to hear is that this legislation is not needed, period. They claim this repeal is necessary so that they can do research on stem cells. Yet, the facts are that scientists in this state can already do research on stem cells, including embryonic stem cells. In addition, there are other promising avenues of research using stem cells from adults (which allow the donor and recipient to be the same person) and from umbilical cord, placental blood, and amniotic fluid which are not restricted. Iowa's ban on human cloning, which was passed with bipartisan support in 2002, did not change our ability to do embryonic stem cell research. As a result, researchers in Iowa have been able to continue searching for cures to chronic illnesses. The question, however, before the Senate this week was not about stem cell research, but whether to lift the ban on human cloning. To say it is about stem cell research is just another example by some to try and pass a bill by calling it something else. I continue to have serious concerns about where this legislation will lead us ethically and until those questions are resolved, I oppose changing the law in our state. I'm convinced that without this legislation Iowa can continue to be a leader in scientific research that leads to cures that save and improve life.