Sanctity Of Life!! Blah, Blah, Blah!!
The Catholic Church is once again sticking their noses into a political matter. On election day, residents of the state of Missouri will have an opportunity to vote yes or no on an initiative to allow Embryonic Stem Cell research. However, now the Catholic Church is weighing in on the matter. As if they don't already tell people what to do, now they're telling people that they shouldn't pursue embryonic stem cell treatment because it ends a LIFE.
The funny thing is, the Catholic Church is constantly preaching about the sanctity of life, blah, blah, blah!! Yet, they don't preach loud enough when it comes to the Death Penalty or WAR. It's only when it comes to an embryo or a fetus that they cry SANCTITY OF LIFE.
I hope that the people of Missouri are smart enough not to believe the lies that are being told about this initiative. I hope that they're smart enough to decide for themselves what kind of medical treatment they would want to pursue if they developed diseases.
Here are the fact, not the lies that are being spewed by the Christian, conservative, right-wing, Bible-thumping whack jobs.
Stem cells could provide cures for many currently incurable or common diseases and injuries, such as diabetes, Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease, ALS, sickle cell disease and spinal cord injury. These medical conditions affect hundreds of thousands of Missourians – including a child, parent or grandparent in over half of all Missouri families. Unfortunately, some politicians in Jefferson City have repeatedly tried to pass state laws that would ban and criminalize important types of stem cell research in Missouri – and actually prohibit Missouri patients from having access to future stem cell cures.
That's why a coalition of patient and medical groups developed the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative which will appear as Amendment 2 on the November 7th statewide ballot. Passage of Amendment 2 ensures that all Missouri citizens will have access to any stem cell cures allowed under federal law and available to other Americans. It also establishes responsible boundaries and guidelines for stem cell research – including a strict ban on human cloning or any attempt to clone a human being.
Opponents of stem cell research frequently make many false and misleading statements about stem cells and Amendment 2. Below is a list of 10 key facts followed by background information that explains why the claims made by opponents are false or misleading. A complete copy of the Stem Cell Initiative and additional information are available on the website at www.MissouriCures.com.
10 KEY FACTS
The research and cures protected by Amendment 2 are already allowed under federal and state law. Amendment 2 simply prevents any unfair state bans.
Early stem cell research uses leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded or stem cells made in a lab dish with the SCNT process.
Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
Amendment 2 does not ask for or require any state funding for stem cell research.
Early stem cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries that have not been – and probably cannot be – cured with adult stem cells.
The claim that adult stem cells already provide cures for 65 or more diseases is false.
Amendment 2 bans the sale of human eggs and embryos and protects donors and patients.
Amendment 2 does not overturn any existing state laws – and it clearly requires compliance with general state laws, such as health and safety laws.
Amendment 2 ensures that all Missourians have a constitutional right to have equal access to stem cell research and cures available to other Americans.
The major institutions conducting stem cell research in Missouri are non-profit institutions.
FACT #1: The research and cures protected by Amendment 2 are already allowed under federal and state law. Amendment 2 simply prevents any unfair state bans.
There are two basic types of stem cells: adult stem cells and early, or embryonic, stem cells (ES cells). Research and cures involving both types of stem cells are allowed under federal law and under current state law in Missouri.
Unfortunately, some politicians in Jefferson City have repeatedly tried to pass state laws that would ban and criminalize ES cell research and cures in our state. Amendment 2, the Stem Cell Initiative will prevent any such unfair bans. It will ensure that Missourians continue to have equal access to any research and cures that are allowed under federal law and available to other Americans.
FACT #2: Early stem cell research uses leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded or stem cells made in a lab dish with the SCNT process.
There are two basic sources of early stem cells: leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded and destroyed and a laboratory process called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). SCNT is a recent medical breakthrough that provides a way to make ES cells in a lab dish for medical purposes, by inserting DNA from a patient's own cell into an unfertilized human egg that has had its own nucleus removed. ES cell research does not use or harm an embryo or fetus in a woman's uterus – and it does not involve abortion.
FACT #3: Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
Amendment 2 bans human cloning and makes any attempt to clone a human being a felony crime. Opponents of stem cell research claim that making stem cells in a lab dish is the same thing as "human cloning." Medical experts and most other people disagree with that view and understand that "human cloning" means creating a duplicate human being – not making stem cells in a lab dish.
The official impartial summary developed by the Missouri Secretary of State clearly states that the Initiative will "ban human cloning or attempted cloning." When opponents filed a lawsuit claiming that the summary was misleading, Senior Cole County Circuit Judge Byron Kinder rejected their claim, concluding that the summary is "fair and accurate." His ruling was later upheld by a State Appeals Court and the Missouri Supreme Court.
FACT #4: Amendment 2 does not ask for or require any state funding for stem cell research.
Amendment 2 does not ask for or require state funding for any type of stem cell research. It simply prohibits state and local officials from arbitrarily cutting off some other funds (unrelated to stem cell research) that an institution normally receives, simply because the institution is involved in stem cell research. For example, it prohibits the legislature from cutting the Medicaid funding a hospital receives simply because it is associated with a medical school that conducts stem cell research with private funds.
FACT #5: Early stem cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries that have not been – and probably cannot be – cured with adult stem cells.
Adult stem cells are partially specialized cells that can turn into a limited number of body cells and tissues. For example, blood-forming adult stem cells in bone marrow can turn into certain types of blood-related cells. Early stem cells are "pluripotent," meaning that they are totally unspecialized cells that have the potential to turn into and regenerate any type of cell or tissue in the human body. Thus, the overwhelming majority of medical experts, medical organizations, disease foundations and patient groups agree that ES cells could provide cures for many diseases and injuries that have not been cured – and probably cannot be cured – with adult stem cells, such as juvenile diabetes, neurological diseases like Parkinson's and MS, spinal cord injury and dozens of other debilitating medical conditions.
FACT #6: The claim that adult stem cells already provide cures for 65 diseases is false.
In an effort to persuade people that early stem cell research is not important or needed, opponents frequently claim that adult stem cells already provide treatments for 65 or more human diseases and injuries. This claim is apparently based on a list created by an opponent of ES cell research named David Prentice. Amazingly, there are a number of medical conditions included on his list – such as Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury – that are currently incurable with any form of treatment. Moreover, no existing FDA-approved adult stem cell treatments are available for the majority of the other medical conditions on the Prentice list. The truth is, although adult stem cell research has been ongoing for over 50 years, FDA-approved adult stem cell treatments are in general use for only about 10 medical conditions (primarily blood-related diseases, such as certain types of leukemia).
Opponents also make the misleading claim that ES cells have not provided any cures. This ignores the fact that ES cell research is a new field of research that has not even entered the human clinical trial stage at this point. Until human trials are conducted, the assertion that ES cells have provided no treatments is totally disingenuous. The same could have been said about any modern medical treatment before it was tested and approved for general use. In short, the claims opponents of the Initiative make about adult stem cells and ES cells are cynical distortions of the facts that are cruelly misleading to patients and unethically misleading to voters.
FACT #7: Amendment 2 bans the sale of human eggs and embryos and protects donors and patients.
In addition to banning any attempt to clone a human being, Amendment 2 ensures that stem cell research will be conducted ethically and protects donors and patients. Amendment 2 prohibits using a sperm and egg to create a human embryo solely for the purpose of stem cell research. It strictly bans buying or selling human eggs or embryos. It also requires that any human eggs or leftover fertility clinic embryos used for stem cell research and cures must be voluntarily donated with fully informed consent, and without any profits or fees.
The medical procedures involved when a woman donates her eggs for SCNT stem cell research are the same procedures that have been used safely and effectively for 25 years at fertility clinics. Moreover, Amendment 2 makes it clear that all stem cell research or treatments must comply with all general federal and state laws regarding the health, safety, rights and privacy of patients.
FACT #8: Amendment 2 does not overturn any existing state laws – and it clearly requires compliance with general state laws, such as health and safety laws.
Contrary to what opponents try to imply, research and cures involving SCNT and ES cells from leftover fertility clinic embryos are already allowed under both federal law and current state law. Amendment 2 simply keeps our state's policies aligned with federal policies by preventing Missouri politicians from banning any stem cell research and cures that are allowed under federal law. Amendment 2 also specifically states that general state and local laws will continue to apply to stem cell research and cures, such as the general laws regarding health care, taxes, and the rights, safety and privacy of patients and employees. And, nothing in Amendment 2 changes or conflicts with Missouri's abortion laws.
FACT #9: Amendment 2 ensures that all Missourians have a constitutional right to have equal access to stem cell research and cures available to other Americans.
The basic constitutional right guaranteed by Amendment 2 is the right of Missourians to have access to any stem cell research and cures allowed by federal law. Because federal law allows SCNT stem cell research, opponents like to twist the facts by claiming that Amendment 2 creates "a constitutional right to human cloning." That claim not only distorts what Amendment 2 actually says, it also conflicts with the generally accepted definition of "human cloning." The overwhelming majority of medical experts and other people understand that stem cells in a lab dish are not a "human being" and that making stem cells for medical treatments is not the same thing a making a human version of Dolly the Sheep. The truth is, Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
FACT #10: The major institutions conducting stem cell research in Missouri are non-profit institutions.
Some opponents of Amendment 2 have made the absurd and insulting claim that supporters of the initiative have a "profit motive" for wanting to pursue stem cell cures. The truth is, the major medical institutions involved in stem cell research in Missouri – such as the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Washington University School of Medicine – are non-profit institutions. And, the over 100 leading patient, medical, faith and civic organizations that support a YES vote on Amendment 2 are also non-profit organizations.
Stem cells have the potential to provide cures for more than 70 currently incurable or common diseases that afflict hundreds of thousands of Missourians and millions of other Americans. The shared motive of supporters of Amendment 2: The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative is to find cures for those diseases and injuries and ensure that the people of Missouri will have equal access to any stem cell cures that are available to other Americans.
The funny thing is, the Catholic Church is constantly preaching about the sanctity of life, blah, blah, blah!! Yet, they don't preach loud enough when it comes to the Death Penalty or WAR. It's only when it comes to an embryo or a fetus that they cry SANCTITY OF LIFE.
I hope that the people of Missouri are smart enough not to believe the lies that are being told about this initiative. I hope that they're smart enough to decide for themselves what kind of medical treatment they would want to pursue if they developed diseases.
Here are the fact, not the lies that are being spewed by the Christian, conservative, right-wing, Bible-thumping whack jobs.
Stem cells could provide cures for many currently incurable or common diseases and injuries, such as diabetes, Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease, ALS, sickle cell disease and spinal cord injury. These medical conditions affect hundreds of thousands of Missourians – including a child, parent or grandparent in over half of all Missouri families. Unfortunately, some politicians in Jefferson City have repeatedly tried to pass state laws that would ban and criminalize important types of stem cell research in Missouri – and actually prohibit Missouri patients from having access to future stem cell cures.
That's why a coalition of patient and medical groups developed the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative which will appear as Amendment 2 on the November 7th statewide ballot. Passage of Amendment 2 ensures that all Missouri citizens will have access to any stem cell cures allowed under federal law and available to other Americans. It also establishes responsible boundaries and guidelines for stem cell research – including a strict ban on human cloning or any attempt to clone a human being.
Opponents of stem cell research frequently make many false and misleading statements about stem cells and Amendment 2. Below is a list of 10 key facts followed by background information that explains why the claims made by opponents are false or misleading. A complete copy of the Stem Cell Initiative and additional information are available on the website at www.MissouriCures.com.
10 KEY FACTS
The research and cures protected by Amendment 2 are already allowed under federal and state law. Amendment 2 simply prevents any unfair state bans.
Early stem cell research uses leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded or stem cells made in a lab dish with the SCNT process.
Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
Amendment 2 does not ask for or require any state funding for stem cell research.
Early stem cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries that have not been – and probably cannot be – cured with adult stem cells.
The claim that adult stem cells already provide cures for 65 or more diseases is false.
Amendment 2 bans the sale of human eggs and embryos and protects donors and patients.
Amendment 2 does not overturn any existing state laws – and it clearly requires compliance with general state laws, such as health and safety laws.
Amendment 2 ensures that all Missourians have a constitutional right to have equal access to stem cell research and cures available to other Americans.
The major institutions conducting stem cell research in Missouri are non-profit institutions.
FACT #1: The research and cures protected by Amendment 2 are already allowed under federal and state law. Amendment 2 simply prevents any unfair state bans.
There are two basic types of stem cells: adult stem cells and early, or embryonic, stem cells (ES cells). Research and cures involving both types of stem cells are allowed under federal law and under current state law in Missouri.
Unfortunately, some politicians in Jefferson City have repeatedly tried to pass state laws that would ban and criminalize ES cell research and cures in our state. Amendment 2, the Stem Cell Initiative will prevent any such unfair bans. It will ensure that Missourians continue to have equal access to any research and cures that are allowed under federal law and available to other Americans.
FACT #2: Early stem cell research uses leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded or stem cells made in a lab dish with the SCNT process.
There are two basic sources of early stem cells: leftover fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded and destroyed and a laboratory process called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). SCNT is a recent medical breakthrough that provides a way to make ES cells in a lab dish for medical purposes, by inserting DNA from a patient's own cell into an unfertilized human egg that has had its own nucleus removed. ES cell research does not use or harm an embryo or fetus in a woman's uterus – and it does not involve abortion.
FACT #3: Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
Amendment 2 bans human cloning and makes any attempt to clone a human being a felony crime. Opponents of stem cell research claim that making stem cells in a lab dish is the same thing as "human cloning." Medical experts and most other people disagree with that view and understand that "human cloning" means creating a duplicate human being – not making stem cells in a lab dish.
The official impartial summary developed by the Missouri Secretary of State clearly states that the Initiative will "ban human cloning or attempted cloning." When opponents filed a lawsuit claiming that the summary was misleading, Senior Cole County Circuit Judge Byron Kinder rejected their claim, concluding that the summary is "fair and accurate." His ruling was later upheld by a State Appeals Court and the Missouri Supreme Court.
FACT #4: Amendment 2 does not ask for or require any state funding for stem cell research.
Amendment 2 does not ask for or require state funding for any type of stem cell research. It simply prohibits state and local officials from arbitrarily cutting off some other funds (unrelated to stem cell research) that an institution normally receives, simply because the institution is involved in stem cell research. For example, it prohibits the legislature from cutting the Medicaid funding a hospital receives simply because it is associated with a medical school that conducts stem cell research with private funds.
FACT #5: Early stem cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries that have not been – and probably cannot be – cured with adult stem cells.
Adult stem cells are partially specialized cells that can turn into a limited number of body cells and tissues. For example, blood-forming adult stem cells in bone marrow can turn into certain types of blood-related cells. Early stem cells are "pluripotent," meaning that they are totally unspecialized cells that have the potential to turn into and regenerate any type of cell or tissue in the human body. Thus, the overwhelming majority of medical experts, medical organizations, disease foundations and patient groups agree that ES cells could provide cures for many diseases and injuries that have not been cured – and probably cannot be cured – with adult stem cells, such as juvenile diabetes, neurological diseases like Parkinson's and MS, spinal cord injury and dozens of other debilitating medical conditions.
FACT #6: The claim that adult stem cells already provide cures for 65 diseases is false.
In an effort to persuade people that early stem cell research is not important or needed, opponents frequently claim that adult stem cells already provide treatments for 65 or more human diseases and injuries. This claim is apparently based on a list created by an opponent of ES cell research named David Prentice. Amazingly, there are a number of medical conditions included on his list – such as Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury – that are currently incurable with any form of treatment. Moreover, no existing FDA-approved adult stem cell treatments are available for the majority of the other medical conditions on the Prentice list. The truth is, although adult stem cell research has been ongoing for over 50 years, FDA-approved adult stem cell treatments are in general use for only about 10 medical conditions (primarily blood-related diseases, such as certain types of leukemia).
Opponents also make the misleading claim that ES cells have not provided any cures. This ignores the fact that ES cell research is a new field of research that has not even entered the human clinical trial stage at this point. Until human trials are conducted, the assertion that ES cells have provided no treatments is totally disingenuous. The same could have been said about any modern medical treatment before it was tested and approved for general use. In short, the claims opponents of the Initiative make about adult stem cells and ES cells are cynical distortions of the facts that are cruelly misleading to patients and unethically misleading to voters.
FACT #7: Amendment 2 bans the sale of human eggs and embryos and protects donors and patients.
In addition to banning any attempt to clone a human being, Amendment 2 ensures that stem cell research will be conducted ethically and protects donors and patients. Amendment 2 prohibits using a sperm and egg to create a human embryo solely for the purpose of stem cell research. It strictly bans buying or selling human eggs or embryos. It also requires that any human eggs or leftover fertility clinic embryos used for stem cell research and cures must be voluntarily donated with fully informed consent, and without any profits or fees.
The medical procedures involved when a woman donates her eggs for SCNT stem cell research are the same procedures that have been used safely and effectively for 25 years at fertility clinics. Moreover, Amendment 2 makes it clear that all stem cell research or treatments must comply with all general federal and state laws regarding the health, safety, rights and privacy of patients.
FACT #8: Amendment 2 does not overturn any existing state laws – and it clearly requires compliance with general state laws, such as health and safety laws.
Contrary to what opponents try to imply, research and cures involving SCNT and ES cells from leftover fertility clinic embryos are already allowed under both federal law and current state law. Amendment 2 simply keeps our state's policies aligned with federal policies by preventing Missouri politicians from banning any stem cell research and cures that are allowed under federal law. Amendment 2 also specifically states that general state and local laws will continue to apply to stem cell research and cures, such as the general laws regarding health care, taxes, and the rights, safety and privacy of patients and employees. And, nothing in Amendment 2 changes or conflicts with Missouri's abortion laws.
FACT #9: Amendment 2 ensures that all Missourians have a constitutional right to have equal access to stem cell research and cures available to other Americans.
The basic constitutional right guaranteed by Amendment 2 is the right of Missourians to have access to any stem cell research and cures allowed by federal law. Because federal law allows SCNT stem cell research, opponents like to twist the facts by claiming that Amendment 2 creates "a constitutional right to human cloning." That claim not only distorts what Amendment 2 actually says, it also conflicts with the generally accepted definition of "human cloning." The overwhelming majority of medical experts and other people understand that stem cells in a lab dish are not a "human being" and that making stem cells for medical treatments is not the same thing a making a human version of Dolly the Sheep. The truth is, Amendment 2 clearly and strictly bans any attempt to clone a human being.
FACT #10: The major institutions conducting stem cell research in Missouri are non-profit institutions.
Some opponents of Amendment 2 have made the absurd and insulting claim that supporters of the initiative have a "profit motive" for wanting to pursue stem cell cures. The truth is, the major medical institutions involved in stem cell research in Missouri – such as the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Washington University School of Medicine – are non-profit institutions. And, the over 100 leading patient, medical, faith and civic organizations that support a YES vote on Amendment 2 are also non-profit organizations.
Stem cells have the potential to provide cures for more than 70 currently incurable or common diseases that afflict hundreds of thousands of Missourians and millions of other Americans. The shared motive of supporters of Amendment 2: The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative is to find cures for those diseases and injuries and ensure that the people of Missouri will have equal access to any stem cell cures that are available to other Americans.
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