Missourians opposed to human cloning have a new opportunity to make their voices heard. Human cloning was legalized with the slim passage (2.4 percent) of Amendment 2 in November 2006, but polls show that the majority of Missourians want human cloning prohibited and do not want to pay for it with their tax dollars.

On August 22, 2007, an initiative petition effort commenced to prohibit human cloning in Missouri. Filed by a group of concerned Missourians including doctors, academics, and concerned citizens, the Cures Without Cloning initiative will ensure three things:

† Human cloning will be prohibited in the state of Missouri;
† Continuation of the search for cures and treatments using stem cell research;
† Taxpayer money will not be used for human cloning experiments.

The petition encourages stem cell research, but calls for ethical research that recognizes the success of treatment and cures developed from adult stem cell research – more than 70 to date – and prohibits stem cell research using cloned embryos.

Stem cells, which are immature, undifferentiated cells from which the human body develops all of its specialized cells, can be obtained from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placentas, the mouth, nose, fat cells and baby teeth without causing any harm to the donor. These sources for stem cells provide adult stem cells, which have the potential to act as a repair system for the body. Cures Without Cloning encourages the use of taxpayer money to focus on adult stem cell research, an area that shows true promise and provides real hope for cures.

Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, are extracted from a developing human embryo, around five to seven days old. The harvesting kills the embryo. Currently permitted research includes cloning humans for the explicit purpose of developing embryos used as a source for stem cells. The Cures Without Cloning initiative clarifies the definition of human cloning to prohibit this process.

Success of the Cures Without Cloning initiative requires the commitment of faithful Catholics throughout the state. Catholics were instrumental in getting the truth out about Amendment 2 and its ambiguous language. The clear language of Cures Without Cloning gives Missourians the opportunity to vote on human cloning, but before the initiative can be placed on the ballot, 225,000 voter signatures must be collected statewide.

Volunteers are needed to collect signatures at churches and church events. In addition to collecting signatures, volunteer notaries are also needed to certify the petitions. Those interested in ending human cloning in Missouri can contact their parish Pro-Life Coordinator.