Posted on 10/31/2006 2:23:44 AM PST by YaYa123
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Opponents of embryonic stem cell research raised more money than supporters during the past few weeks, marking a first in Missouri's costly ballot battle over whether to write stem cell research into the state constitution.
Campaign finance reports filed Monday showed the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures topped $30 million in its campaign for proposed Constitutional Amendment 2 on the Nov. 7 ballot.
But during the Oct. 1-26 reporting period, three opposing groups actually brought in more money - totaling almost $1.9 million compared with the supporters' $1.3 million.
The opponents' fundraising push came as poll commissioned by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV television showed support for the stem cell amendment - once around two-thirds of those polled - had declined to 51 percent.
"Certainly we're seeing momentum go our direction," said Jaci Winship, a spokeswoman for two of the opposing groups, Missourians Against Human Cloning and the Life Communications Fund. "A lot of people are seeing that momentum and willing to invest to get the truth out."
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
"...The ballot proposal would guarantee that all federally allowed stem cell research could occur in Missouri, including embryonic research and a cloning procedure that opponents claim results in the destruction of human life at its earliest stages. The initiative is a response to failed legislative efforts to try to ban that cloning procedure, known scientifically as somatic cell nuclear transfer.
The stem cell initiative also has intertwined with Missouri's high-profile Senate race, with Republican Sen. Jim Talent coming out in opposition of it and Democratic challenger State Auditor Claire McCaskill supporting it. A McCaskill stem cell research ad featuring actor Michael J. Fox - who has Parkinson's disease - drew national attention and led opponents to speed up their own TV ad featuring star athletes and actors...."
bttt
This is a case of influence peddling and buying. What gets me is cloning in a state where the genes have been mixed for centuries.
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