I admit that I am pleasantly surprised. The pro cloning bias among the political elite and media in Missouri make it almost impossible to get the straight information to the people of MO about this crucial ethical issue. When a new initiative to outlaw all human cloning was filed awhile ago, the Secretary of State wrote a summary that was both inaccurate and breathtakingly biased. Well, lo and behold, a court has righted the wrong. From the story:
A judge rewrote the ballot language Wednesday for a proposed constitutional amendment banning a particular kind of embryonic stem cell research after supporters claimed the state’s original description was biased...The pro cloners will undoubtedly appeal , if for nothing else than to slow down the signature gathering process. Well, that’s politics and never mind. A little fresh air has entered the usual smog of bias that permeates Missouri on the cloning issue. Anyone who believes in the democratic process should be grateful regardless of their opinion on the propriety of human cloning.
After Carnahan released the stem cell summary in October, the sponsoring group Cures Without Cloning immediately claimed her language was biased against it. Now that its legal challenge is resolved, a group spokesman said supporters plan to start gathering the petition signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. Cures Without Cloning chairwoman Lori Buffa claimed Carnahan’s language was a “blatant attempt to mislead the Missouri voters. This ruling proves what we’ve said along: that our clear, concise initiative would prohibit human cloning and the taxpayer funding of human cloning in Missouri,” Buffa said in a written statement...
The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, which sponsored the 2006 amendment, said it was considering an appeal of Wednesday’s court ruling and would mount a “vigorous campaign” encouraging people not to sign the new initiative petition. The coalition spent $30 million for the 2006 initiative.
