Supporters of an effort to put the Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative on the November ballot are claiming victory. Approximately 145,000 signatures from various corners of the state are needed to get the issue on the ballot. The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures has succeeded in collecting almost 289,000 signatures which have been submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office for verification, which should be completed in the next couple of months. The Coalition’s Connie Farrow says the effort wins out despite legal challenges from opponents who had tried to stop the process. Approval of the Initiative, in November, would grant protection, in Missouri, to all forms of stem cell research allowed under federal law. Opponents are concerned with a form of research known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, which they claim is tantamount to human cloning.
Related web sites:
Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures