WASHINGTON?The health insurance industry has filed a lawsuit to block pro-cloning advertisements using the “Harry and Louise” characters created in 1993 during the debate over health care.

The Health Insurance Association of America, which filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, wants to stop the group CuresNow from using the characters as part of a campaign urging the Senate to allow cloning for research.

“The Harry and Louise appearing in these commercials are indistinguishable from the Harry and Louise who have represented the health insurance industry for the past decade,” said HIAA president Donald Young. “We have a legitimate business interest in protecting our image.”

CuresNow, which was founded by Hollywood producers Janet Zucker and Lucy Fisher, began running ads last week in Washington and Utah.