House passes ban on cloning human cells.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

WASHINGTON _ After a passionate debate pitting medical science versus conservative moral values, the House of Representatives approved a Republican-backed anti-cloning bill on Tuesday that would outlaw therapeutic research using reproduced human cells.

Both sides of the debate said they supported a ban on human cloning. But controversy flared over whether such a ban should prevent creation of human cells for any purpose, including research or therapy to cure disease.

The House standoff featured dueling Florida members who offered alternative anti-cloning measures.

Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, an intensely religious physician from Florida's Space Coast, sponsored a bill that would make it a felony offense to clone human cells, with …