Letter to the Editor

Urge support for stem-cell research

To the editor:

I spoke last week in Jefferson City, Mo., in opposition to Senate Bill 160, which would criminalize a promising form of stem-cell research known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT. State Sen. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau is on the committee that will decide this bill's fate. I asked Crowell to please think of all the people who spoke out against this bill, people like former major league umpire Steve Palermo, teenage cardiac patient Adina Talve-Goodman and former Washington University chancellor William Danforth. These people and I see the possibility of miraculous cures if SCNT research is allowed to continue. By all means, ban human cloning, but do not close this avenue for people may one day benefit from this vital research. I urge anyone else concerned about conditions such as Alzheimer's, spinal injuries, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and many others, to contact Crowell urging him to oppose SB 160.

MICHAEL DAVENPORT, Jackson