WU pushes for silence on stem cells

To the editor:

It was interesting, but not surprising, that Dr. Larry Shapiro of Washington University would so vociferously and promptly disavow Dr. Bob Onder as part of WU, since Dr. Onder does not support Amendment 2 allowing human cloning and killing of embryos for research. And note that he says Dr. Onder is expressing his personal opinion rather than inconvenient scientific facts.

WU along with the Stowers Institute of Medical Research in Kansas City are the main proponents, financial supporters and would-be beneficiaries of this Amendment 2.

As a biological scientist, I am fully aware of the peer pressure to join in this effort or be silent and stay on the sidelines. On June 19, Dr. William Danforth of WU addressed a letter to Dr. Shapiro in which he encouraged physician members of WU's School of Medicine "to join the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society and the Missouri State Medical Association" because "they are supporting next November's referendum that I hope will pass" and "so that the voices of academic physicians may be heard in important political debates."

Dr. Shapiro dutifully forwarded this to all faculty members as asked. But there are a number of WU medical faculty members who are publicly speaking out on this issue. Most notably, Dr. Richard A. Chole, Lindburg professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at WU School of Medicine, who chairs Missourians Against Human Cloning. But then Dr. Shapiro would not want you to know all of this, would he?

Dr. A.F. KERTZ, Glendale, Mo.