It has been said that in order to know the fruits of a political movement, one only has to become familiar with its members. This is no less the case than with the embryonic stem cell initiative. In particular, several prominent figures in Missouri have received spotlight media attention in recent months.
Perhaps the most outspoken member of the "cures" initiative is none other than the former Missouri Senator John Danforth, the television spokesman of the movement and a self-proclaimed pro-lifer. Senator Danforth's brother, William Danforth, is best known for his 24-year tenure as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, whose world renowned medical school would benefit heavily from the flow of NIH grants and private dollars into legally protected embryonic stem cell research. The leaders of Missouri's research institutions have argued that banning embryonic stem cell research would undermine Missouri's efforts to build a strong biomedical industry and would damage the University's ability to retain and attract biomedical researchers. Presently, Washington University Barnes-Jewish Medical Center is ranked the 6th best hospital system in the United States and it intends to stay there.
Another major player in the "cures" initiative is Sam Fox, a key Republican fund raiser, who has personally donated 1 million dollars to the Bush campaign and Republican party. Sam Fox, a member of Washington University's board of trustees since 1989, has personally overseen the
University's $1.3 billion capital campaign since its inception in 1998. It is evident that Fox, a graduate of Washington University's class of 1951, wishes to transform his university into a national leader in embryonic stem cell research. Other leaders of Missouri's research institutions have spoken out on embryonic stem cell research as well. Sources in the biotech sector have said that the 2 billion-dollar endowed Stowers Institute in Kansas City has threatened to move to Los Angeles if a constitutional amendment protecting embryonic stem cell research is not passed. Such an initiative is the law in California, which allows patent holders of certain embryonic stem cell techniques to profit heavily from human experimentation.
Governor Blunt, who is committed to pro-life causes, has unfortunately also supported this initiative. Because of the extreme pressure he is under, and the somewhat shady science, he has been led to believe this initiative is both pro-life and good for Missouri’s economy, another issue that Governor Blunt strongly supports. Not everyone in Jefferson City, however, believes that embryonic stem cell research is the answer to Missouri’s economic woes. Governor Blunt’s plans to divert some of Missouri’s assets (i.e. MOHELA) to biotechnology, has many congressmen worried. If an amendment is passed that prevents the Missouri legislature from restricting embryonic stem cell research, then the biotechnology sector would virtually have a free-ride to do whatever it pleases with these appropriations. Such an amendment that ties the hands of our legislators whom we put in office and completely restricts them from limiting any research involving embryonic stem cells would be unprecedented.
But why do Senator Danforth, Sam Fox, and Governor Blunt support the protection of cloning in the Missouri Constitution? The answer is simple: in order for this high-risk investment to succeed (high-risk, because embryonic stem cell research has yet to cure a single person), investors have to be assured that no law would be passed that would restrict embryonic stem cell research. To date, no law has been passed in the Missouri Assembly, although it has been tried. Last year, Representative Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis County, and Senator Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County, both simultaneously introduced legislation that would ban human cloning. Unfortunately, for various reasons, including a veto threat by Governor Blunt, this bill was closeted in both houses of the Missouri Legislature.
Thus, an amendment initiative in the form of a referendum will cleverly be put before the people of Missouri this November. This amendment will be disguised in various ways. It will focus on providing “cures,” although everyone in the science community recognizes that it might be many decades before embryonic stem cell research cures people. This initiative also promises to ban “cloning,” although researchers would be free to clone and do research on human embryos as long as the embryo clones are not implanted in a woman’s uterus.
What can you do? First, do not sign a petition you do not fully understand. Do some research and learn what truly is involved in such an initiative. The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, the main force behind the embryonic stem cell initiative, has millions of dollars of funding. In order to defeat such an initiative, good people need to become informed and take part in preventing human experimentation from being permanently protected in our Missouri Constitution. For a list of action items that you can do to get involved, visit the What Can I Do? section of our web site. This is probably the most important issue that our state has or will ever face. Please do not sit on the sidelines, but take action!
Send mail to molly@dontsignalifeaway.org with questions or comments.
2006 Don't Sign a Life Away!
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Last modified: 03/05/2006
