Associated Press reporter David Lieb writes about Senator Matt Bartle’s bill to reverse Amendment 2, Missouri’s new (and America’s first) clone-to-kill law.
Matt Bartle is a relentless and conviction-driven politician. Incidentally, his 17 hour filibuster of Warren Erdman's appointment to the MU Board of Curators is a record for a one man filibuster. On the eve of the 200th anniversary of William Wilberforce’s successful campaign to abolish the slave trade in England, one can readily think of some similarities between Bartle and Wilberforce.
What struck me in Lieb’s article was this statement:
“Bartle's proposal would reverse language in last fall's ballot measure that allows a certain form of embryonic stem cell research to occur in Missouri. Instead, it would ban the cloning procedure and allow the Legislature to restrict state funding for research."
It is interesting how Lieb rightly identifies “a certain form of embryonic stem cell research” as a “cloning procedure.” That’s the trouble with Amendment 2. It legalizes the cloning procedure of embryonic stem cell research, while at the same time, making cloning illegal.
So, is cloning legal or illegal in Missouri? Well, with its 2,100+ words, Amendment 2 went to great legal gymnastics to re-define cloning. Still, reporters like Lieb and regular citizens like me know the truth. Embryonic stem cell research is cloning.
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