Opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor of the Sheridan Express.
By the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures
Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures defended the will of voters Wednesday by continuing to challenge a drastic proposal to repeal Missourians' access to medical research, treatments and cures that are available to other Americans.
We maintained before the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District in Kansas City that the Secretary of State got it right when she described the proposed initiative as a repeal of the Missouri Stem Cell Amendment passed by voters in November 2006. Citizens have a right to know what this deceptive proposal would do: Make criminals of doctors, scientists and patients merely for seeking cures and treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer and muscular dystrophy.
Although the sponsors of this deceptive measure claim their intent is to "ban cloning," the truth is that our state constitution already strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being. Violators face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. So, if human cloning is already banned, what is the sponsors' true intent? To criminalize promising stem cell research that Missourians voted to protect for the benefit of our patients and their families.
In their zeal to repeal our access to research and cures, in misstep after misstep, they have ignored basic science, logic and the law. They have had to file their petition three times. One version filed would have excluded Missouri citizens with common chromosomal abnormalities such as Down and Turner syndromes from their definition of "human." Only after public criticism did they withdraw that outrageous proposal.
No matter how many times they file and re-file their petition, or how it is summarized on the ballot, the biggest and most dangerous flaw remains. It threatens to repeal our access to medical research and cures available to other Americans.
Our Coalition is vigorously working to ensure that the protections established for Missouri citizens just 16 months ago in the Stem Cell Amendment remain intact. The movement to protect the hope for cures for our loved ones, friends and fellow citizens is growing in strength each day. We encourage Missourians to join our Coalition and to learn more about our efforts by visiting our Web site at www.MissouriCures.com.
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