PRESS RELEASE: Court of Appeals Rules Cures Without Cloning Initiative is Not a Repeal

This statement was released today by Missouri Cures Without Cloning:

COURT OF APPEALS RULES CURES WITHOUT CLONING INITIATIVE IS NOT A REPEAL; CAMPAIGN WILL CONTINUE ON TO 2010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Missouri Cures Without Cloning Initiative Campaign (CWC) won a partial legal victory today when the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that part of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s ballot summary was “insufficient and unfair.” In the opinion, Judge Hardwick stated “Upon review of the Plaintiffs' initiative proposal, we find no language to suggest that it would repeal the ban on human cloning…. The Secretary's introductory language does not fairly summarize any goal or effect of the initiative proposal and is inadequate to give clear notice of its purpose.”

While this was a big victory for CWC’s efforts to present Missouri voters with a clean vote to ban human cloning in Missouri, we are disappointed the court upheld the unsubstantiated prediction that this amendment would limit patients’ access to stem cell cures and treatments. There is no basis for this assertion. We are evaluating our options regarding appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court and pursuing relief from the Secretary of State for violation of our constitutional rights.

Following is a statement by Lori Buffa, MD, chairwoman of CWC:

“While there is some satisfaction from today’s decision, the deadline to submit the approximately 150,000 signatures necessary to place the measure on the November 2008 ballot is Sunday. Clearly, it has been the intent of Robin Carnahan and those who support human cloning in our state to abuse the initiative process and prohibit
us from placing a true ban on human cloning on the ballot. However, justice delayed will not be justice denied. CWC will continue our educational efforts throughout this year and resubmit our initiative in November. Hopefully, by this time next year our vast organization of trained volunteer circulators will be collecting signatures for the 2010 election cycle.

“Missouri Cures Without Cloning is committed to banning human cloning and taxpayer funding of human cloning in Missouri. Our broad coalition continues to build support as we have gained thousands of supporters from all areas of the state. Momentum is on the side of our growing movement as Missourians become aware of the human cloning loophole in our constitution. As we continue to share the truth about human cloning in Missouri, more and more of our fellow citizens will join us in supporting a true ban on human cloning in 2010.”

Missouri Cures Without Cloning (CWC) is leading a broad-based, statewide coalition of grassroots organizations committed to prohibiting the cloning of human beings in Missouri. Interested citizens are invited to visit http://www.mocureswithoutcloning.com/ for more information.

Update on the Legal Battle for a Fair Ballot Summary

Yesterday, a panel of three judges from the Western District Court of Appeals heard the oral arguments regarding the Secretary of State's appeal of the Circuit Court ruling that her ballot summary was "unfair and insufficient". The oral arguments are the final step presenting both sides of the case to the court. Prior to yesterday's hearing, several hundred pages of "briefs" have been filed with the court from both sides. At this point, we have no indication of when the court will rule on the case. We will, of course, notify you immediately when a decision is reached.

We believe that no matter how many irrelevant side issues the cloners try to raise, the court cannot deny the basic facts as stated by our lead attorney, Eddie Greim. Eddie argued that Carnahan's summary improperly includes policy and social claims and more importantly does not include the central purpose of the proposed amendment, which is to ban human embryonic cloning.

"The statement really missed the legal core of this proposal," Greim said in an interview after the hearing. "Instead it made predictions and policy arguments and various other types of claims that don't belong in a summary statement." ("Missouri appeals court looks at stem cell ballot" by Margaret Stafford/AP Columbia Missourian, March 26, 2008)

Sitting in the courtroom for both the circuit court and court of appeals hearings, I cannot help but wonder how many taxpayer dollars have been spent by the Attorney General's office to defend the malfeasance of the Secretary of State. Clearly, Robin Carnahan's abuse of power has cost us, as Missouri citizens, in legal fees and time wasted and then we are also paying with our tax dollars for her defense!

What NOW?

Because we have such a large and wide spread volunteer army of circulators, we have opted to wait for the Court of Appeals ruling before circulating petitions. If the appeals court were to change even one word then we would have to reprint and distribute over 150,000 petitions while insuring the original petitions were destroyed. That challenge would be greater than working within a tight timeframe.

There is still a great deal of work to be done as we prepare. We continue to recruit and train volunteer circulators and coordinators across the state. If you have yet to be trained - we need you. Click here to volunteer today!

"Mo. judge sides with anti-cloning forces"

The Baptist Press , in a story by Michael Foust, has reported on our recent court victory.

Pro-lifers in Missouri won a major court victory Feb. 20 when a state judge rewrote the ballot language of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban all types of human cloning.

Read the full story.

New Ballot Summary

The following is the language that the judge handed down and is now certified to the Secretary of State:

Should the Missouri Constitution be amended to change the definition of cloning and ban some of the research as approved by voters in November, 2006 by:
• prohibiting human cloning that is conducted by creating a human embryo at any stage from the one-cell stage forward;
• prohibiting expenditure of taxpayer dollars on research or experimentation on human cloning; and
• allowing stem cell research for therapies and cures that complies with these prohibitions and the prohibitions of Section 38(d) of theConstitution?

Press Release: "Cures Without Cloning Statement on Court Ruling Upholding Challenge to Carnahan Ballot Summary"

This statement was released by Cures Without Cloning in response to today's court ruling.

Cures Without Cloning Statement on Court Ruling Upholding Challenge to Carnahan Ballot Summary

ST. LOUS, MO – Lori Buffa, MD, chairwoman of Cures Without Cloning, released the following statement regarding the ruling of Circuit Judge Patricia S. Joyce upholding the coalition’s challenge to the Secretary of State’s misleading and inaccurate ballot summary:

“This ruling proves what we’ve said along: that our clear, concise initiative would prohibit human cloning and the taxpayer funding of human cloning in Missouri.

“We are pleased that the courts have upheld our challenge to Secretary of State Carnahan’s blatant attempt to mislead the Missouri voters with her inaccurate ballot summary.

“It is unfortunate that Ms. Carnahan’s actions have needlessly delayed the democratic process, but we are now prepared to move forward with our efforts to prohibit the cloning of human beings here in Missouri.”

Cures without Cloning (CWC) is leading a broad-based, statewide coalition of grassroots organizations committed to prohibiting the cloning of human beings in Missouri. Interested citizens are invited to visit www.MOcureswithoutcloning.com for more information.

Wesley Smith on the latest claims of the Stowers Institute

There are a couple of stories out recently regarding the Governors' summit and Wesley Smith at Secondhand Smoke responds to the claims of William Neaves of the Stowers Institute. The following is one of the topics touched on in Smith's blog post.

William Neaves, head of the Stowers Institute, is perhaps the most disingenuous advocate for human cloning that I have ever encountered. To say that I disrespect the man is to say the sky is blue. Well, he's at it again in this story about human cloning and stem cell research in Missouri.

...

"Those that oppose this research still threaten to overturn the stem cell amendment and the struggle to keep Missouri safe for medical science must continue." A new bill to ban Stowers research is pending in the General Assembly."We remain optimistic that most Missourians will oppose misguided efforts by some politicians to outlaw legitimate biomedical research," Neaves said.

I don't know about any bill in the Assembly and a search did not turn up any. There is a planned initiative to outlaw human cloning. But many believe human cloning is not legitimate medical research, which is why Neaves pitches so much junk biology to pretend that the new planned initiative would outlaw ESCR, which it would not.

Be sure to check out the full post over at Secondhand Smoke.

"Guest Column: Doctor backs anti-cloning initiative"

By Dr. Michael Acuff, Columbia, MO

As a spinal-cord injury specialist, I have dedicated my career to improving the lives of my patients. Over the years, as medical research has progressed, one of the biggest challenges for physicians like me has been to bridge the gap between providing hope and providing false hope.

The new Cures Without Cloning initiative, which would amend the Missouri Constitution to prohibit human cloning and taxpayer funding of human cloning, is about hope.

It is about allowing us to focus our medical research on promising, safe methods to find lifesaving cures and treatments, but doing it without human cloning, which is dangerous, unproven and outside the mainstream of society.

Those who allege human cloning is necessary in the pursuit of these cures and treatments are providing false hope.

The Cures Without Cloning initiative would only prohibit research involving human cloning - nothing more, nothing less. There are plenty of promising research methods, including many forms of stem-cell research, that do not involve human cloning.

Perhaps this is why so many doctors across the state are supporting this common-sense initiative.

Why do we need a prohibition on human cloning? Simple: Because the Missouri Constitution currently only prohibits some cloning. It does, though, permit the same form of human cloning that created Dolly the sheep.

This isn't a religious issue; this isn't an economic-development issue. It's an issue of doing what's right for our patients; it's about allowing medical researchers to focus on safe, proven research techniques, rather than throwing away our tax dollars.

But it seems to me that turning our backs to safe, proven research techniques, while continuing to throw endless tax dollars toward dangerous, unproven human cloning experiments, is wrong.

The Cures Without Cloning initiative does not prohibit stem-cell research. Actually, by prohibiting human cloning, the researchers of our state will be able to focus on the exciting areas of stem-cell research that show real promise and real hope.

The cloning prohibition simply prohibits human-cloning experiments.

We should embrace the exciting promise of cures and treatments that stem-cell research can bring, but we should do so by resoundingly rejecting the practice of human cloning.

My patients deserve hope, and they deserve the best efforts from medical researchers.

By supporting the Cures Without Cloning initiative, we can provide hope, we can provide an honest search for lifesaving cures and treatments, and we can do so without the dangerous, unnecessary practice of cloning human beings.

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Originally published by The Maneater

Candidates for Governor on Human Cloning

The Columbia Tribune reported yesterday on the views of the candidates for governor on human cloning. U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman are both opposed to human cloning, while Attorney General Jay Nixon opposes the Cures Without Cloning initiative.

Steelman and Hulshof voted against a ballot item that placed provisions in the Missouri Constitution that, among other things, prohibited the legislature from applying any regulations against stem cell research allowed by federal law.

The two also are opposed to somatic cell nuclear transfer. That process involves transferring an individual’s DNA to an unfertilized egg to grow stem cells that could be integrated into that person’s body. That creates an early stage embryo that must be destroyed to harvest embryonic stem cells.
…
Nixon, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, supports abortion rights and condemned a ballot item submitted last year for circulation that would ban somatic cell nuclear transfer.

A Grassroots Organization?

Pro-Cloning Group Relies on “Paid Volunteers” to Work Polls on Election Day

The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures claims it is a broad-based grassroots organization, so why is it paying big bucks to hire workers to staff polling places on Election Day?

What happened to the organization’s grassroots volunteers?

Following is a copy of a flier distributed by the pro-cloning coalition:

In case you can't read the flier, it says:

Do You Support Stem Cell Research?

Would You Like to Make $12 Per Hour?

Do You Have Free Time on February 5th, 2008?

POLL WORKERS NEEDED

The flier also states that the poll workers will be used to educate "thousands of Missourians" on the organization's goal: to oppose a prohibition on human cloning.

They claim to be a grassroots organization, but continue to rely on major contributions from a few wealthy contributors to fund the protection of human cloning.

Clearly if they must pay poll workers there is no real base of volunteer support.

Missourinet - "Legal Challenge to Stem Cell Summary Has Day in Court"

Yesterday there was a hearing on our legal challenge in Cole County Circuit Court. Steve Walsh has an article on the subject that gives a summary of what happened.

The legal challenge to Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's summary wording of an initiative to limit certain forms of stem cell research in Missouri has its day in court - but there could be more such days.

Attorney Eddie Greim, representing the plaintiffs led by the group Cures Without Cloning, argued before Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce that the summary is not an honest attempt to let voters know what a yes vote or a no vote would mean. He adds the signature collectors would have to spend a lot of extra time by having to explain to voters why the wording on the summary is so vastly different from the goal of the plaintiffs.

Assistant Attorney General Karen Mitchell, representing the state, argued the ballot summary is just that - a summary - and is not intended to tell all about an initiative. Mitchell insists the summary language is sufficient and fair.
The judge expects to have a ruling on at least part of the challenge by the middle of the month. If more arguments are needed, a February 20th court date has been set aside.

You can also hear his audio story here.

Human Cloning Is Now a Reality

Earlier this month, it appears that researchers in California “successfully” cloned human embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage before destroying them. Below are excerpts from the New York Times article, “Cloning Said to Yield Human Embryos” by Andrew Pollack (pub. 1/18/2008)

“Scientists at the company, Stemagen, which is based in San Diego, said Thursday that they were the first to use human adult cells to create cloned embryos that advanced to the stage known as a blastocyst, from which embryonic stem cells typically are extracted…

It is not clear whether the embryos would have been viable if implanted into a womb. Stemagen did not test whether the embryos had the correct number of chromosomes. But Dr. Wood, who also is a fertility doctor, said, ’We’ve seen reproductive blastocysts that look like this or worse and they implant.’”

I know many hoped this extremely dubious scientific achievement would prove impossible but we must face the reality of a world where human cloning is possible. Now more than ever, we need to stop this unethical research and ensure our tax money does not fund human cloning experiments in Missouri.

Important Volunteer Opportunity

As all of you are aware, Missourians will head to the polls a week from today and cast their ballots in the highly contested Presidential primary.

First, I want to urge each of you to vote on February 5th and encourage your friends and family to vote as well. This is a privilege and a responsibility all too few of us exercise. It is estimated that less than 20% of Missouri registered voters will cast a ballot next Tuesday

Clearly, those who DO vote Tuesday are people we want to reach with our message. We are organizing volunteers to distribute information cards to voters exiting the polls in various areas of our state.

Please click here to help share the truth about human cloning in Missouri on February 5th. A couple hours of your time can really make a difference!

Legal Challenge Update

There are two important events looming on the horizon. The first is a hearing regarding the Cures without Cloning ballot summary scheduled for this Thursday, January 31 at 1:30pm. Any issues not resolved on the 31st, will be taken up at the February 20th trial. We have a strong case and are confident the judge will provide us with a fair and accurate ballot summary. Please look for more information following these important dates.

Footnote

Like many of you, we are watching the political developments in the wake of Matt Blunt’s announcement not to run for Governor. In the coming months, I believe there will be many opportunities for those of us who oppose human cloning to be heard and help shape the leadership of our state.

Human Cloning's Curtain Call

by Bruce R. Williams, D.O.

As a physician, I was heartened by last month's news that scientists had successfully created the equivalent of embryonic stem cells without human cloning experimentation. This new scientific breakthrough holds real promise for finding new cures and treatments. It should put an end to the human cloning debate that has been central to Missouri politics for years.

The new method, referred to as “direct reprogramming” allows researchers to use skin cells to reproduce stem cells identical to those that were previously taken from human embryos. No cloning. No destruction of human life. No ethical controversy.

How big is this breakthrough? The scientist who created Dolly the cloned sheep, Professor Ian Wilmut, has already announced he is abandoning cloning research in favor of the new method. Professor Wilmut believes this new method holds more promise for find treatments, including treating strokes, heart attacks, Parkinson’s and other diseases.

The fact that a human cloning pioneer like Professor Wilmut would shun human cloning experiments in favor of new and more promising research is rocking the scientific community. Many, including Professor Wilmut himself, are declaring this new process as the future for stem cell research. Medical and scientific experts are already predicting the end to human cloning experimentation.

As the journal Science reported last week, with the new procedure, “we would not need human embryos or (eggs) to generate patient-specific stem cells – and therefore could bypass the ethical and political debates that have surrounded the field.”

With this new breakthrough that makes human cloning irrelevant, private research money to support human cloning experiments will be almost impossible to find. Fortunately for the cloning proponents in Missouri, they have access to our tax dollars to fund their research. Now, more than ever, they are going to turn to us to fund their multi-million dollar human cloning agenda.

That is why the Missouri Cures Without Cloning initiative seeks to prohibit taxpayer funding of human cloning, as well as the unnecessary research. It would ensure that human cloning is prohibited within the state of Missouri, and no taxpayer funding could be used to fund such research anywhere.

Why should we, the taxpayers, foot the bill for research that is so obviously fruitless?

While this new scientific breakthrough holds the promise to new treatments for diseases including diabetes and Parkinson’s, why do some continue their battle to support human cloning? The time has come to say no to human cloning in Missouri and to ensure our hard earned tax dollars are not used for human cloning experimentation.

Dr. Williams is a family physician in Blue Springs, Missouri.

Our Press Release on the 'Christmas Breakthrough'

We sent out this press release this morning:

A Christmas Breakthrough:
Third Research Team Shows Human Cloning Is Not Necessary

ST. LOUS, MO – A new report published this week in the journal Nature shows that a third team of researchers has been able to “reprogram” ordinary skin cells to take on the properties of embryonic stem cells.

These new scientific breakthroughs hold real promise for savings lives without cloning human beings. In addition, Dr. Ian Wilmut – the scientist who cloned Dolly the Sheep – has even cited the new techniques has his reason for abandoning human cloning experimentation.

“The evidence continues to mount that human cloning is not necessary in the pursuit of lifesaving cures and treatments,” said Curt Mercadante, spokesperson for the Cures Without Cloning initiative to prohibit human cloning in Missouri. “And it underscores the need to pass a common sense prohibition on this dangerous, unproven and unnecessary practice.”

Reuters reports on the latest breakthrough:

Researchers get embryonic stem cells from skin (Maggie Fox, Reuters, 12/24/07)

A third team of researchers has found a way to convert an ordinary skin cell into valued embryonic-like stem cells, with the potential to grow batches of cells that can be directed to form any kind of tissue.

Their study, published on Sunday in the journal Nature, shows the approach is not a rare fluke but in fact something that might make its way into everyday use.

Scientists hope they are starting an age of regenerative medicine, in which people can get tailor-made treatments for injuries, diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes, and in which scientists can study disease far better than before.

Dr. George Daley of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston and colleagues got their skin cells from a volunteer, whereas the other two teams of researchers who have accomplished the feat got theirs from commercially available cells grown in labs - a seemingly small difference, but one Daley says shows it is feasible to get cells from any volunteer.

"Ours is the only group to go from skin biopsy to cell line," Daley said in a statement.

Cures without Cloning (CWC) is leading a broad-based, statewide coalition of grassroots organizations committed to prohibiting the cloning of human beings in Missouri. Interested citizens are invited to visit www.MOcureswithoutcloning.com for more information.

# # #

Third research team experiences stem cell breakthrough

Reuters reports today that a third team of researchers has "found a way to convert an ordinary skin cell into valued embryonic-like stem cells, with the potential to grow batches of cells that can be directed to form any kind of tissue" ...

Their study, published on Sunday in the journal Nature, shows the approach is not a rare fluke but in fact something that might make its way into everyday use.

Scientists hope they are starting an age of regenerative medicine, in which people can get tailor-made treatments for injuries, diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes, and in which scientists can study disease far better than before.

Dr. George Daley of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston and colleagues got their skin cells from a volunteer, whereas the other two teams of researchers who have accomplished the feat got theirs from commercially available cells grown in labs -- a seemingly small difference, but one Daley says shows it is feasible to get cells from any volunteer.

"Ours is the only group to go from skin biopsy to cell line," Daley said in a statement.

They said they are now working to generate the so-called induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells to match a variety of diseases.

Wesley Smith Responds to Today's Post-Dispatch Letter

Wesley Smith (at the Secondhand Smoke blog) takes issue with a letter to the editor by a Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures representative that was published in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Basically, the letter makes the false claim that proponents of a prohibition on human cloning would have somehow prevented the recent "direct reprogramming" breakthrough from becoming reality.

Smith retorts:

What hogwash. First, legislation in Missouri was always aimed at outlawing human cloning, not embryonic stem cell research. Indeed, ESCR would have remained perfectly legal in MO if A. 2 had failed. Second, the potential repeal pending in MO would really outlaw human cloning, and not impede ESCR in the least. Third, cloning had zero to do with the iPSC breakthrough, and indeed the new approach is seen widely as a moral and ethical way to derive pluripotent stem cells without SCNT cloning. Fourth, Bush-approved ES cell lines were and are perfectly suitable for the kind of basic research into pluripotency that scientists say they need to continue to perfect iPSCs. Finally, James Thomson, one of the scientists who demonstrated the viability of the approach, did so with an NIH grant from the dreaded Bush Administration.

Legal Update

As you know, we are currently involved in a legal challenge regarding the very inaccurate and misleading ballot summary proposed by the Secretary of State.

During a hearing earlier today, we had hoped to obtain a court date so that we could move this process along as quickly as possible.

Our goal is to have the courts rule in our favor soon - so that we dispatch our grassroots teams of volunteers across the state with a clear, accurate ballot summary to gather petition signatures.

Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances (a judge's illness) we will have to come back in early January, at which point our court date will be set.

Stay tuned! In the meantime...please keep visiting the blog, sending those letters to the editor to your local newspapers, and recruiting volunteers to help with our efforts to prohibit human cloning in Missouri!

A potential new treatment ... without human cloning?

This morning's Chicago Tribune has this story about a new potential breakthrough in which doctors in Japan have used stem cells - derived from liposunctioned fat - to help reconstruct the breasts of women who have had lumpectomies for breast cancer:

Doctors in Japan used stem cells derived from liposuctioned fat to repair the craters left in 21 women's breasts when cancerous lumps were cut out. The lead investigator, Dr. Keizo Sugimachi, reported Saturday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that the procedure was safe and well-tolerated in all 21 subjects, with no signs of rejection. There was a significant improvement in breast volume, and eight months later most of the women were satisfied with the outcome. Doctors not involved in the study were cautiously optimistic.

Additional clinical trials are necessary for this potential treatment, but it shows yet another example of promising research that is being conducted for life-saving and life-improving cures ... without cloning human beings.

KWMU story on "stem cell debate"

KWMU carries this story today on the initiative - and the new scientific breakthrough.

Jaci Winship of Missourians Against Human Cloning is quoted about the new breakthrough:

"It's obsolete technology, it's obsolete science from a number of scientists," says Jaci Winship with Missourians Against Human Cloning.

The story continues:

"Somatic cell nuclear transfer is the process for cloning, and if you somatic cell nuclear transfer with a human, which has not viably been done, then that's human cloning," said Winship. "And human cloning in any avenue for any purpose is wrong," she adds.

Winship and her group are trying to fill that loophole by putting another question on the November 2008 ballot. And they're using this latest development to prove that SCNT is no longer necessary.

Charles Krauthammer's column

If you haven't yet read Charles Krauthammer's recent column on the new Direct Reprogramming breakthrough ... we strongly suggest you do so.

Westchester Institute Focus on Latest Breakthrough

The Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person has this great featured section providing all you ever need to know about the latest breakthrough involving the generation patient-matched human pluripotent stem cells without human cloning, and without the use of human embryos or human or animal eggs.

We urge you to check out their page, but perhaps this new breakthrough (and our entire effort overall) can be summed up in this excerpt from the Institute's Q&A on the new breakthrough:

“Good” research respects both scientific and ethical standards. iPSC research meets every mark of good science and has the following ethical advantages: it does not destroy human embryos; it does not use human oocytes; and it does not alienate a large part of the country’s citizens by engaging in research that they find deeply immoral.

As we've said all along ... just because science can do something doesn't mean we should do something. Especially when that "something" is unethical, unproven, dangerous and - as this latest breakthrough shows - unnecessary.