By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton says the Republican majority can do little to block an initiative petition that would put a proposed constitutional amendment regarding stem cell research to a public vote.
Thursday, a Missouri judge upheld the language of the ballot item that would protect stem cell research and treatment.
Jetton says the issue is in the hands of the people, and that strong feelings on both sides make any legislation difficult to pass.
"And those two groups prevent us from getting the 82 votes we need to really do either or," Jetton said. "So I would urge everybody to really start studying that because everybody's going to have to make a decision this year and going to vote on that initiative."
Supporters of the petition need at least 145,000 signatures to put the question on the November ballot.