Posted on 07/28/2006 10:51:45 PM PDT by Coleus
The Missouri Catholic Conference is urging candidates for state offices to return contributions from a nonprofit organization that advocates for stem cell research and other medical analysis and testing. The move has inspired a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service, arguing that the request violates prohibitions on political activity by nonprofit organizations. “It constitutes illegal political interference,” said Marcus S. Owens, a tax lawyer, who filed the complaint on behalf of a client he declined to identify.
The Missouri conference sent the request to more than 50 candidates for state offices who received donations from the organization, Supporters of Health Research and Treatments. Lawrence A. Weber, executive director and general counsel of the Missouri conference, said he heard about the complaint over the weekend but did not see Mr. Owens’s letter until a reporter faxed it to him on Monday. “Obviously, it’s something we take seriously and are in the process of looking into,” Mr. Weber said. Representatives for Supporters of Health Research could not be reached.
Missouri legislators are considering an amendment to the State Constitution that would ban human cloning but would prohibit the state and local governments from discouraging stem cell research, which is allowed under federal law. The Missouri conference opposes that amendment. In April, Mr. Weber sent a letter to several dozen state legislators who were reported to have received campaign contributions from Supporters of Health Research. “The Missouri Catholic Conference is committed to informing Missouri voters about campaign contributions promoting human cloning and embryonic stem cell research,” Mr. Weber wrote, “and will report to Missouri voters regarding candidates who choose to associate themselves with this and similar organizations that promote such unethical practices.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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Absolute crapola!
Asking candidates to refuse culture-of-death blood money is absolutely lawful ISSUE advocacy.
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