The Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) is the public affairs voice of the Catholic Church in Missouri. The MCC examines public policy from the perspective of a two-thousand year tradition of Catholic moral teaching. In faithfulness to the Gospel call to “go and teach all nations,” the MCC seeks to advance public policies that respect the sanctity and dignity of human life, protect the most vulnerable and promote the common good of all Missourians. There are many issues that warrant attention, but for 2006 the MCC considers the following three issues to be of priority concern because of their significant effect upon the sanctity and dignity of all human life and the common good of all Missourians.

1. DEFEAT PASSAGE OF PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ALLOWING HUMAN CLONING AND EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH.

The Catholic Church supports research using non-embryonic sources of stem cells that have led to successful treatments of diseases while respecting human life at the earliest stage of development – the human embryo. Research that creates human life only to destroy that life is morally unacceptable no matter how noble the research goal. The MCC opposes the initiative that would create a constitutional right to conduct human cloning and destroy human embryos under the guise of medical research and therapies.

2. PREVENT FURTHER REDUCTIONS IN HEALTH CARE TO NEEDY; RESTORE MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR NEEDY MISSOURIANS.

Access to basic health care is a fundamental human right. Health care services should not be limited solely to those who can pay for it since health care, unlike many other consumer goods, is essential to the maintenance of life. Responsibility for health care begins at the individual level, but also entails responsibilities of parents, local communities, and other sectors of society, such as employers. Government, as part of its responsibility to promote the common good, must ensure that there is access to affordable health care for all. The MCC supports restoring Medicaid health coverage to Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens.

3. DEFEND THE SANCTITY AND PROMOTE THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE IN ALLOCATING STATE BUDGET RESOURCES.

Budget decisions should not be determined on the basis of political power but should promote the common good of all Missourians. The state budget should promote a culture of life and protect the most vulnerable. The MCC supports state funding for alternatives to abortion, health coverage for the indigent, residential care for the elderly and those with disabilities, quality education for all citizens, rehabilitation programs to help offenders return successfully to society, and adequate funding of other essential services. These are signs of a caring society that is grounded in the compassion of Christ.