A California bill that would have banned genetically engineered animals like “glow-in-the-dark rabbits” and “unicorn horses” failed in the state Senate, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Assembly Bill 1382, otherwise known as the aptly named “Ethics Over Aesthetics Act,” was written to prevent businesses from selling pets that have been genetically modified for cosmetic reasons.
Gene-editing tech is already being used to modify animals, sometimes to eliminate inherited diseases and other times to create pets less likely to trigger allergies. AB 1382 would have allowed those uses while specifically targeting genetic modification used exclusively to alter an animal’s aesthetics. That includes the very plausible nightmare of buying a rabbit that glows in the dark.
Sounds insane, but a company called Los Angeles Project has discussed plans to create glow-in-the-dark rabbits, and has even casually floated the idea of creating an animal that looks like a unicorn.
The Bill Meant to Ban Cosmetic Gene-Editing in Pets Just Failed in California
Supporters of the bill argued that the state should quickly establish ground rules before designer pets become a commercial industry, especially since nobody is really sure what the long-term health consequences of genetically modifying a creature for aesthetics alone could be.
The bill was moving through the process, passing the Assembly by unanimous vote, and even had bipartisan support in the Senate Judiciary Committee… And it all stalled when it hit the Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee said the bill could potentially produce high costs for courts if the proposed civil penalties were challenged.
The post How California Just Cleared the Way for ‘Glow-in-the-Dark Rabbits’ and ‘Unicorn Horses’ appeared first on VICE.
