Senator changes position on stem cells
The Missouri Coalition of Life Saving Cures contains more than 40,000 Missourians and more than 100 patient advocacy groups,
Published Feb. 17, 2006
Senator Jim Talent removed himself Feb. 10 as co-sponsor of a U.S. Senate bill that would ban certain types of stem-cell research and came out in favor of certain types of the controversial procedure.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., would ban all forms of cloning of human embryos. Talent attributed his change of opinion to a procedure called "altered nuclear transfer," that changes the nucleus of the cell being copied so it would yield the same kind of stem cells used in stem-cell research without yielding a human embryo.
Talent said the method possibly could be interpreted as cloning under the Senate bill and would therefore be illegal. Talent will face State Auditor Claire McCaskill in a re-election race in November.
In Missouri, stem-cell research will continue to be a major issue as voters will decide its future in the state. The Missouri Coalition of Life Saving Cures, an organization of more than 40,000 Missourians and more than 100 patient advocacy groups, backs the initiative, which would keep all forms of federally allowed research legal in Missouri, no matter what action the legislature undertakes.
Jeff McCaffrey, vice president of the University of Missouri-Kansas City chapter for the Missouri Coalition for Life Saving Cures, said though group members are happy Talent took his name off the bill, the group is focusing on Missouri's initiative to ensure the future of stem-cell research.
"Senator Talent removed his name as a co-sponsor of the bill on the federal level, which would have affected the entire United States," McCaffrey said. "Our main concern is allowing Missourians to vote on this issue so we can move forward."
Bill Musgrave, a spokesman for the coalition, said he didn't think Talent's actions would affect the group's efforts in favor of the initiative.
"Basically, we don't think the positions taken by Senator Talent or his opponent will have any significant effect on our campaign," Musgrave said. "Our initiative is designed to protect and ensure that patients in Missouri have access to cures that patients in every other state have." McCaffrey also said it was important to protect Missourians' rights to cures.
"We have world-class medical research institutions and as Missourians and as patients we need to have the rights to the cures that can come from stem-cell research," Musgrave said.
"We are leading the way in stem-cell research, and we need to make sure the institutions are allowed to push forward."
The executive director of Missouri Right to Life, Patty Skain, was unavailable to comment on the issue.
Although MU has many medical-research facilities, MU spokesman Christian Basi said he was unable to speculate on how the initiative might affect the university.
"We cannot speculate until the bill actually is passed because many things can change from now until then," he said.