Going back at it in Missouri

The people were duped on the issues of stem cells in Missouri and abortion in South Dakota in November’s elections. South Dakota’s legislature is going to re-tool the language in that state’s life protection law, and it will return.

Some people presumed that the narrow defeat of the no cloning effort in Missouri was final. Not so, announced two legislators who had the will to find the way.

Two lawmakers plan to challenge a human-cloning provision in constitutional amendment narrowly approved by voters in November, the Kansas City Star reported.

Amendment 2, the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, passed with just 51 percent of the vote last month. The initiative allows researchers to create embryonic human life for the purpose of extracting stem cells — a process that always results in the death of the embryo. It will also allow scientists to clone human embryos for research.

State Sen. Matt Bartle and state Rep. Jim Lembke, both Republicans, announced Tuesday a proposal that would clarify the intent of the people of Missouri.

“We believe the message sent by voters on Nov. 7 was that they want to ban human cloning,” Lembke said. “Amendment 2 had a loophole a mile wide, and this would close that loophole by banning all human cloning, including research cloning.”

If approved by the Legislature, the proposal would appear on the 2008 ballot.

This is great news. The election gave the people of life and clarity a strong message and mission. The next election is not that far off, and there is no time to lose.