Funds cut, but state still needs to ban cloning

To the editor:

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder's May 19 column unfortunately misstates that human cloning was banned as a result of legislation passed during the 2003 legislative session. In fact, legislation enacted by the General Assembly (House Bill 688) banned state funding of human cloning.

The Missouri Catholic Conference appreciates Kinder's assistance in passing that legislation ensuring appropriate ethical parameters for state-funded life-science research. However, legislation banning human cloning was at various times included within six different bills. In the end, each of these bills either failed or was passed without the cloning ban.

We appreciate the strong sentiments expressed by Kinder regarding human cloning and hope to work next year with him in order to ban this immoral and unnatural practice.

LAWRENCE A. WEBER

Executive Director

Missouri Catholic Conference

Jefferson City, Mo.

To the editor:

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder's May 19 column unfortunately misstates that human cloning was banned as a result of legislation passed during the 2003 legislative session. In fact, legislation enacted by the General Assembly (House Bill 688) banned state funding of human cloning.

The Missouri Catholic Conference appreciates Kinder's assistance in passing that legislation ensuring appropriate ethical parameters for state-funded life-science research. However, legislation banning human cloning was at various times included within six different bills. In the end, each of these bills either failed or was passed without the cloning ban.

We appreciate the strong sentiments expressed by Kinder regarding human cloning and hope to work next year with him in order to ban this immoral and unnatural practice.

LAWRENCE A. WEBER

Executive Director

Missouri Catholic Conference

Jefferson City, Mo.