State lawmaker, scared of glow-in-the-dark human-jellyfish creatures, pushes bill to curb hybrid embryos

• Henry Kaiser, National Science Foundation/Wikimedia Commons

Georgia lawmakers like to lead. Especially when it comes important issues such as human life. As well as the intersection of human life and other species such as jellyfish.

That’s why state Rep. Tom Kirby, R-Loganville, has introduced the Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act, which would prohibit “the creation of an in vitro human embryo by any means other than fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm.” In case you were wondering, it would also clamp down on hybrid human-animal embryos.

According to Kirby, research on the mixing of human and animal hybrid embryos has occurred in other states. The lawmaker told WSB-TV that he’s “had people tell me it is happening in Georgia but I have not verified that for sure,” adding “it’s time we either get in front of it or we’re going to be chasing our tails.”

Kirby’s apparently not alone in that regard. The bill has the support of five other lawmakers.

“We in Georgia are taking the lead on this issue,” Kirby writes on his website. “Human life at all stages is precious including as an embryo. We need to get out in front of the science and technology, before it becomes something no one wants.

Of all the embryo mixing, Kirby specifically takes issue with the potential mix of human and jellyfish embryos. If that happened, he says it could lead to — yes, wait for it — a “glow in the dark human.”

“We say not in Georgia,” he writes. “This bill is about protecting Human life while maintaining good, valid research that does not destroy life.”

Not in Georgia, Tom. Not. In. Georgia.

UPDATE, 6:30 p.m. In case you weren’t convinced of Kirby’s stance on this issue, he’s apparently been fighting the hybrid embryo fight since at least September 2013. Here’s the state rep chatting about the issue in an interview. Fast forward to the 52:45 mark to hear him stand against “that frankenstein type science.”