The Missouri pro-cloning movement turned in their petitions Monday with 288,991 signatures, more than enough to get the measure on the ballot. It was really a formality (hey, $4 million can buy almost anything!). And we'll be seeing a few more formalities in coming days. Formalities such as the Secretary of State throwing out a few signatures by those who properly filled out the tedious notarized statements stating they mistakenly signed the petition that was available on most street corners in the state by paid signature gatherers. That will bring the number down to about 288,879.
The Secretary of State will then authenticate the measure. Then the Governor will formally place it on...I'm prophesying...the November ballot. That leaves only the formality of the lawsuit filed by Missourians Against Human Cloning. If the Supreme Court should take up the matter, the drama might be prolonged, but I'm guessing they'll drive the final nail in the coffin and skip taking up the case, letting the Appeals Court ruling stand.
This means Missourians will have to decide about human cloning. Will we legalize a process that, until about 10 months ago, was unanimously referred to as "cloning"? Will we reduce the earliest stage of human development--embryonic life--to a research object? Will we prejudicially deny life to humans created in scientific laboratories? And will we revive Untermensch, the Nazi philosophy that there is such a thing as a sub-human race?
There is a better way to research cures for the diseases that plague our times and our loved ones. Adult stem cell research. It doesn't kill the donor.
No comments:
Post a Comment