Oklahoma senator wants ban on human fetuses in food


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OKLAHOMA CITY ? A Republican state senator from Oklahoma City introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban the use of aborted human fetuses in food, despite conceding that he's unaware of any company using such a practice.

Freshman Sen. Ralph Shortey said his own Internet research led him to believe such a ban is necessary and prompted him to offer the bill aimed at raising "public awareness" and giving an "ultimatum to companies" that might consider such a policy.

Shortey said he discovered suggestions online that some companies use embryonic stem cells to develop artificial flavors, but added that he is unaware of any Oklahoma companies doing such research.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Pat El-Hinnawy said: "FDA is not aware of this particular concern."

The executive director of the anti-abortion group Oklahomans for Life, which has successfully pushed some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country through the state's GOP-controlled Legislature, also said he had never heard of human fetuses being used in food research.

Shortey's bill would prohibit the manufacture or sale of any food in which aborted fetuses were used to develop any of the ingredients."

We've got too many challenges facing Oklahomans today. We don't need to go looking for possible challenges that may come about sometime in the future," said Crain, R-Tulsa. "If it can be demonstrated that this is a challenge facing our food supply, then I think we need to act quickly, but there's been no demonstration that this is going on.

"I'd hate to think we're going to spend our time coming up with possibilities of things we need to stop."

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Shortey said he discovered suggestions online that some companies use embryonic stem cells to develop artificial flavors, but added that he is unaware of any Oklahoma companies doing such research.

Everything you read online is true. Sounds like this guy has been hitting up Neowin's Area 51 subforum...

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Anyone opposing this Bill is a disgusting vile human being, and nobody wants to be that. Expect this bill to pass quicker then a **** after dinner at the curry house.

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how much you want to bet there is a rider on this bill for some pet project and he just researched any topic that would make a bill passable by default to pass that other rider bill?

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I would imagine that there are quite possibly interpretations of other laws that could be made were a case such as this to ever arise. For example I assume cannibalism is already illegal in Oklahoma (and probably the US as a whole) and this legislation could be used to cover such a scenario.

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I would imagine that there are quite possibly interpretations of other laws that could be made were a case such as this to ever arise. For example I assume cannibalism is already illegal in Oklahoma (and probably the US as a whole) and this legislation could be used to cover such a scenario.

Considering a lot of American states still find it hard to grasp the concept of an abortion for practical reasons I doubt there's any that wanna take the left overs and put it on toast any time soon. Even in the event of being a cannibal i don't think even they would do it, that would be a bridge too far.

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Wow...the AP, via FoxNews really stripped that of any real information.

Oklahoma lawmaker wants to stop Pepsi from using aborted fetus cells in soda flavoring research

NaturalNews) In order to simulate various flavors in processed foods, some food manufacturers are actually using aborted fetal cells to test and produce these artificial chemical enhancers that millions of Americans consume every single day. Concerned about the ethical and moral implications of such a process, Oklahoma Senator Ralph Shortey has introduced new legislation to prohibit this practice from occurring in his home state.

Senomyx, a California-based biotechnology company that specializes in developing food flavorings, is one such company that uses aborted embryonic cells to create "isolated human taste receptors," which are used in the production of food chemicals. And this company has partnered with several major food manufacturers, including Kraft, PepsiCo, and Nestle (http://www.naturalne...al_flavors.html).

"There is a potential that there are companies that are using aborted human babies in their research and development of basically enhancing flavor for artificial flavors," Sen. Shortey is quoted as saying by KRMG News Talk Radio. "What I am saying is that if it does happen then we are not going to allow it to manufacture here."

According to Children of God for Life (CGL), a pro-life watchdog group, Senomyx uses HEK 293 to produce its artificial flavor enhancing chemicals. HEK 293 is code for human embryonic kidney cells that are manipulated to produce taste receptors that express a specific protein known as the G protein. But CGL says the company could also use animal, insect, or other more acceptably-derived cells instead, and still procure the same results.

While aborted fetal cells are not necessarily in the final products made by PepsiCo, Kraft, or Nestle, such cells appear to needlessly play a part in the production of artificial flavor chemicals used by these companies. And since there are viable alternatives to this questionable practice, Sen. Shortey, CGL, and many others are calling for its end.

As we reported previously, the Campbell Soup company used to be a Senomyx partner until CGL contacted them about the fetal cell issue. Shortly thereafter, reports indicate that Campbell's officially cut ties with Senomyx, which in 2003 filed a patent for "recombinant (genetically modified) methods for expressing a functional sweet taste receptor."

NaturalNews

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Is this really a major issue?

Of course not. Just like voter fraud - State legislatures are hell bent on disenfranchising voters in numbers never seen before to combat a problem that just doesn't exist.

I haven't looked yet but I'm betting this is a Republican state senator.

Edit: LOL YUP! http://www.ralphshortey.com/ A bonafide birther no less:

Sen. Ralph Shortey on Monday successfully amended a measure to require that presidential primary candidates provide proof of natural-born United States citizenship upon filing with the state election board.
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Of course not. Just like voter fraud - State legislatures are hell bent on disenfranchising voters in numbers never seen before to combat a problem that just doesn't exist.

I haven't looked yet but I'm betting this is a Republican state senator.

Edit: LOL YUP! http://www.ralphshortey.com/ A bonafide birther no less:

Could've saved yourself a spasm there and just read the dang article in the OP :laugh:

OKLAHOMA CITY ? A Republican state senator from Oklahoma City introduced a bill...
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