Governor Blunt R- mo divides the self righteous Anti choicers - stem cell

: Groups split over issue of stem cell research-ST LOUIS
POST-DISPATCH

Groups split over issue of stem cell research
By Matt Franck
ST LOUIS POST-DISPATCH JEFFERSON CITY BUREAU
09/17/2005

JEFFERSON CITY If ever the anti-abortion movement were to succeed in
Missouri, now would seem like the time. One would think that the political climate would be perfect for anti-abortion advocates in a state where more than two-thirds of state legislators are on their side. Add to that the Legislature's 77 percent approval of an anti-
abortion bill last week - not to mention the first Republican-
controlled House and Senate in more than 80 years - and one might
predict a heyday for anti-abortion legislation. But politics isn't merely about numbers. Despite last week's landslide approval of a bill boosting parental consent laws, anti-abortion advocates aren't running victory laps as they forecast the prospects for the future.
Instead, some predict that the same politics that doomed all anti-
abortion bills earlier this year could threaten the passage of
abortion restrictions in the future. The conflict focuses on the heated debate over stem cell research, which has pitted anti-abortion groups against each other as well as their standard-bearer, Gov. Matt Blunt. The governor responded to the feud by calling a special session specifically to pass an anti-abortion bill, while steering clear of stem cell research. His efforts translated into a law he signed Thursday that imposes more restrictions on abortion clinics and allows lawsuits against anyone who advises or assists a minor who obtains an abortion without parental consent. But a federal judge placed a hold Friday on implementing the law until the courts have a chance to debate its legality.

Unresolved issue
As the special session closed, even Republican Senate leaders said
that in passing the abortion law, the stem cell conflict had been
temporarily avoided, but not resolved. "It doesn't change anything in terms of coming to a solution on what to do about somatic cell nuclear transfer," said Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood. Gibbons is referring to a form of stem cell research that's also known as therapeutic cloning. Many anti-abortion groups equate the research with the destruction of human life. Blunt disagrees. He says the research is ethical, and he champions it as a key to promoting the state's biotechnology industry. The fate of all anti-abortion legislation has rested on a philosophical disagreement. Many opponents of stem cell research aren't satisfied with any abortion bill unless it contains language criminalizing the research. Blunt, in turn, won't sign any bill containing such a ban. That kind of standoff was avoided in the session only because Blunt had the authority to set narrow parameters within which the abortion
bill could be considered. But all bets may be off when lawmakers return for their regular session in January. Larry Weber, executive director for the Missouri Catholic Conference, said he was pleased with the anti-abortion bill signed by Blunt. But Weber and his allies plan to press the stem cell issue, saying the aim is to "protect life in a test tube." Pam Fichter with Missouri Right to Life, the state's largest anti-abortion group, tangled with Blunt all summer in competing op-ed pieces run in religious publications around the state. "This is the most important issue in the pro-life debate," she said. Weber said he was "optimistic that Gov. Blunt will come to his
senses . . . and honor his pro-life commitment" by backing such a
ban. If not, Weber and Fichter predicted that the stem cell issue would not only dominate the upcoming session, but also resonate at the ballot box.

"I would hope this becomes an issue in the 2006 election and becomes
a factor in voter conduct," Weber said. Seeking compromise
Some Republican leaders say they long for a resolution to the stem
cell fight that would avoid such an outcome. Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, wonders whether the Legislature might dispense with the stem cell issue with a compromise. Rather than a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer, he suggested that a majority might agree to ban such research only if the resulting cells are implanted in a womb. But Gibbons questions whether the Legislature yet has the scientific grounding to move ahead on the issue, particularly in a world where new research threatens to shift the debate. Sam Lee, of the group Campaign Life Missouri, said he was eager to see anti-abortion bills progress without being gummed up in the stem cell debate. Among the legislation he would like to see are restrictions on state funding to private groups that support abortion, tax credits for those who donate to pregnancy centers and protections for pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception. But Lee said passing those bills without attaching stem cell amendments would require coordination among anti-abortion legislators. Achieving that could be difficult, he said, because anti-abortion Democrats won't follow the Republican play book.

"I think it can be done," he said. "I think there needs to be
political maturity on the part of lawmakers." Shields wonders whether the prospects for passing abortion restrictions might be greater if there were fewer anti-abortion advocates in the Legislature. "There's probably more self-control when you're a narrow majority," he said.
As it is, Shields said, the two-thirds majority of anti-abortion
lawmakers lack consensus on how to forward their cause. "Within the category of people who define themselves as pro-life legislators, there are a lot of different ideas," he said. But Sen. Joan Bray, D-University City, who is one of the Legislature's leading abortion-rights supporters, said she was not about to underestimate the ability of anti-abortion groups to refine their strategy. Nor, she said, will abortion opponents be content with the small victory they secured with last week's special session. "I think they're going to keep marching down the road," she said.

Jo Mannies of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Why not let the scientists decide? If there is no new knowledge or treatments/cures to be obtained from stem-cell research, then why continue it? If such research is valuable for these reasons, then why not continue it?

It just seems to me we should let those people, the scientists who should know, decide...

My wrist are tapped so I can type this and my left knee is too ridged too move. My right wont stop jogging. So for your pro life anti stem cell people, well you help me clean my house, hold a fork perform my hygine, or help me go to the rest room? Or are you to busy trying to steal my disability payments for the drugs I need for the bills that I still have to pay? So please come over and tell me how much more important in embryo is than me, if nothing else I can use the company today. May Jesus show you the compassion that you dont show me. Have a great week Danny.

calling in Ks. and hope to be able to take that across the state line with some of my friends over there. This satifies my Deaniac impulses. I'm also my precinct coordinator.

Thanks for this post.

Let me know how i can contribute :)

http://www.dfakc.org/ Please blog us. We also need well researched articles on local issues for our front page. I'm on the Communications Comm.; we will review the front page article submissions.

We are trying to be bi-partisan and to work across state-line. We had a townhall with Luis Duiguid of the KC Star in which Luis lead a lively discussion, with about 20 people; we talked in detail about the Downing Street Minutes. This was across town on Swope Pkwy. People I hadn't met before; everyone talked.

GKCDFA meetings are first Weds always at Californos in Westport.

I live in Johnson County. Some of us have been together since Dean in Iowa.

I'll try to blog tomarrow when my hands are working better. PS I know ca looks like an abbreviation but its the first two letters of my last n I know alot about your state from working as a lobbyist four times a year. Danny.

There still aren't enough coordinators, but we have plan, in Johnson County, for how to go about finding more. This will work. I'm a teacher, so I'm convinced if we facilitate the people's own "voice" more will become active, especially women.

What the hell were my fellow Missourians thinking? Elect a kid who has never held a real job in his life just rode dads coat tails. Why can't we get someone in office who knows what its like to worry about real life issues like medical care, or the brakes going bad on the car and how it kills that months budget. Need someone real not a spoiled baby.

i am at a loss.