This November the voters in Missouri will be voting on the nation’s first bill to attempt to address some of the issues around human cloning and stem cell research. Unfortunately, this cleverly disguised bill is not in the interest of the vast majority of Americans who are against cloning. I only hope the people of Missouri educate themselves before going to the polls.

From the Family Research Council:

In Missouri, citizens are set to vote on Amendment 2–one of the most important ballot initiatives in the coming election. Known as the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, the title has succeeded in deceiving even the most pro-life voters. Believe it or not, this bill has nothing to do with stem cell research and everything to do with creating a dangerous precedent for human cloning. Amendment 2, which begins with the words, “No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being,” would actually make human cloning for research a constitutional right–an issue that 76 percent of the American people oppose. Obviously, the only way the biotech industry could find support for their proposal is disguising it as something it’s not. In the amendment’s fine print, the only activity the initiative would ban is implanting a cloned embryo in the womb. It does nothing to punish companies that clone to kill–and even goes so far as to create special protections (and profits) for the industry itself. What’s worse is that Amendment 2 would force state and local governments to provide taxpayer dollars for “somatic cell nuclear transfer,” or, as the rest of the country calls it, cloning. The truth is, Amendment 2 would permit scientists to use the same method on humans that they used to clone Dolly the sheep–which seems fitting since the bill’s proponents seem intent on pulling the wool over voters’ eyes.

The group supporting this bill has very misleading website and touts the bill as a “Ban on Human Cloning” – it is nothing of the sort. The bill may well ban the creation of a human embryo for implantation into a woman, but permits an embryo to be created and then destroyed for research purposes, or to harvest valuable stem cells. In addition the amendment, if passed, would stop state and local governments from withholding funds for human cloning experiments. Worse, the amendment would limit the ability of the legislature to regulate biotech companies which clone for research purposes. If passed this bill would create constitutional protections for cloning that are not dissimilar to those provided for abortion.

But don’t just take my word for it, read the 5 page document which is the text of the bill.

Some more examples of the dangers Missouri Amendment 2 curtsey of Missourians Against Human Cloning:

Page 1 of the amendment says it bans cloning. But page 4 allows bio-tech special interests to clone human embryos through “Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer” - the scientific definition for cloning and the method used to clone Dolly the sheep.

Page 1 of the amendment says you can’t buy or sell human eggs. But page 5 says firms can pay women for their eggs, which will be needed in the millions for the kind of unethical experimentation this amendment allows. This is not only deceptive, but it shows who will pay the real price for these cloning experiments - vulnerable women who will be asked to put their health and fertility at risk.

For anyone in Missouri who is considering voting on Amendment 2, please take a few moments to read the actual text of the bill, which you can find here. Don’t listen to the hype, don’t pay attention to the ads – read and digest it for yourself. I am sure you will find some of the content down right frightening. Remember to read the fine print.

If passed, this bill will actually make human cloning a Missouri constitution right. We all know how the game of legislative precedence works in the US. If this bill passes in Missouri it will be a stepping stone for future bills and used as a club in legal cases starting in Missouri and then spreading outward to the rest of the US. Urge friends, collogues, and relatives in Missouri to vote NO on this amendment.

Here are some other sites with good information on Missouri Amendment 2:

http://www.nocloning.org/default.html
http://www.2tricky.org/
http://www.missourilife.org/index.html

Also reporting:
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Aardvark Alley

Update: Doug Edelman over at The Conservative Voice wrote an excellent article on this top. Check it out here.