By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – An effort to ban some types of stem cell research in Missouri has been renewed.
Several state lawmakers are proposing a new constitutional amendment one they say would truly prohibit human cloning.
Missourians narrowly approved Amendment 2 in November. That measure protects all federally-allowed stem cell research and bans human cloning.
But Republican Sen. Matt Bartle says the ballot language was misleading.
"We think Missourians were deceived because they came out in droves to vote against human cloning, but yet if you read the ballot language you could be deceived into thinking Amendment 2 banned human cloning when in fact it actually protects human cloning," Bartle said.
The controversy is over a process called "somatic cell nuclear transfer." Opponents say it amounts to cloning. Supporters say Amendment 2 prevents anyone from implanting such cells into a woman's uterus.
Donn Rubin, the chairman of the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, says a court case over the Amendment 2 language confirmed it does ban cloning.
"That was dealt with in the amendment," Rubin said. "The courts confirmed that it banned the cloning of a human being. These politicians should be honest about their agenda. Their real agenda is to ban stem cell research. That's what they've been trying to do for years."
Former U.S. Senator John Danforth, who supported Amendment 2, also weighed in on the issue while appearing on KWMU's St. Louis on the Air on Tuesday: "I learned a long time ago that a win's a win and that's where I think it should stand.
"But the people that don't agree with me have pretty much been telegraphing this punch for a number of weeks now so I don't think it's any surprise."
If the proposed Joint Resolution passes the General Assembly it wouod go on the ballot in November 2008.