Human cloning and embryonic research were the topics of hours of debate in the Iowa House yesterday. The debate came on a bill which would ban human cloning in the state. Critics worried the ban was too broad and might shut down some medical research projects. Half of the House, including Republican Representative Brad Hansen of Carter Lake, voted to ensure research on discarded human embryos continues. He says they’re not trying to answer the question of when life begins, they’re trying to answer the question of whether or not Iowa can do the research. Hansen says there’s a reason he wanted to protect groundbreaking medical research. He says he sat at the bed of his dad when he had a stroke as doctors told him much of his life was destroyed by nerves damaged from the stroke.Democrat Representative Frank Chiodo of Des Moines says he normally votes “pro-life” but doesn’t consider an embryo in a petri dish a human being.Anti-abortion forces objected, though, and have successfully tabled the bill so it won’t come up again for debate. Republican Representative Danny Carroll of Grinnell said microscopic life shouldn’t be destroyed, even for medical research. He says they will have to answer the question, “are the perceived benefits of this medical research so promising, or so encouraging, that it justifies destructive research on some part of the human race.”