by Bishop John Leibrecht, Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri
All of us support research which could lead to cures of diseases. As a teen I contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which at that time could be fatal more often than not, but a treatment newly discovered in Chicago returned me to full health. I shall always be grateful to the medical scientists who developed that treatment.
In Missouri a debate is underway about the source of stem cells for research in the quest for cures. A key issue in a proposed constitutional amendment on research is whether cloning human embryos for their stem cells should be permitted in Missouri. Donn Rubin, chairman of the coalition promoting the amendment, is quoted as saying it includes a “ban on cloning a human being”, explaining further that “to clone a baby in Missouri would call for severe penalties.”
The proposed amendment does ban cloning a baby. It does not ban cloning a human being, that is, a human embryo.
Consider the facts. The amendment would allow cloning a human being but keep it from developing into a baby. The cloned embryo would be destroyed when its stem cells were taken from it for research. It’s scientifically clear that the embryo in the petri dish is both human and alive, otherwise scientists would not be interested in its stem cells. If proponents of the constitutional amendment want to take the position that the cloned embryo is not human and alive, let them say that clearly. You who are reading these words, as well as myself, were groups of cells in our earliest stages similar to those in a petri dish, but we developed over the months into live births.
Voters need to be crystal clear on what they are voting about, especially because before us is an amendment to our Missouri constitution which could hardly ever be changed. Research into cures for diseases should be conducted with adult, not embryonic, stem cells.
It’s ironic that many Baptists, Catholics and other people of religious faith are asking citizens to look carefully at biological facts, while amendment proponents are asking citizens to believe that a cloned embryo in a petri dish is not a human being, a position which takes on the appearance of an article of personal faith.
