Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Courageous Celebs Respond to Michael J. Fox Ad

In response to an admittedly moving, but deceptive ad by Michael Fox (obviously off his medication) Jim Caveziel, and Patricia Heaton are among celebrities coming out strongly against the Missouri Cloning Protection Bill in another televised ad. Watch it here.

What's the truth about this amendment? Family Research Council sums it up:

Missouri Cloning Bill: Trick or Treatment?

What's in a name? Well, according to the leading experts on bioethics, the future of America's human cloning movement. In Missouri, citizens are set to vote on Amendment 2--one of the most important ballot initiatives in the coming election. Known as the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, the title has succeeded in deceiving even the most pro-life voters. Believe it or not, this bill has nothing to do with stem cell research and everything to do with creating a dangerous precedent for human cloning. Amendment 2, which begins with the words, "No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being," would actually make human cloning for research a constitutional right--an issue that 76 percent of the American people oppose. Obviously, the only way the biotech industry could find support for their proposal is disguising it as something it's not. In the amendment's fine print, the only activity the initiative would ban is implanting a cloned embryo in the womb. It does nothing to punish companies that clone to kill--and even goes so far as to create special protections (and profits) for the industry itself. What's worse is that Amendment 2 would force state and local governments to provide taxpayer dollars for "somatic cell nuclear transfer," or, as the rest of the country calls it, cloning. The truth is, Amendment 2 would permit scientists to use the same method on humans that they used to clone Dolly the sheep--which seems fitting since the bill's proponents seem intent on pulling the wool over voters' eyes.