Did any of them actually read this document? Michael J. Fox admits he didn't. I doubt any of the others did either. For those who actually want to read what all the hubbub is about, here it is. The legislation would prevent human cloning in Missouri and make certain other limitations:
(1) No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being.Summing up those first five limitations. No human cloning. No blastocysts created for purpose of stem cell research. No taking of stem cells more than 14 days after cell division begins. No sale of blastocysts for stem cell research.
(2) No human blastocyst may be produced by fertilization solely for the purpose of stem cell research.
(3) No stem cells may be taken from a human blastocyst more than fourteen days after cell division begins; provided, however, that time during which a blastocyst is frozen does not count against the fourteen-day limit.
(4) No person may, for valuable consideration, purchase or sell human blastocysts or eggs for stem cell research or stem cell therapies and cures.
(5) Human blastocysts and eggs obtained for stem cell research or stem cell therapies and cures must have been donated with voluntary and informed consent, documented in writing.
Those issues are mired in ethical quandries and deserve serious consideration. All the heat and light generated by the Fox/Limbaugh kerfuffle has done nothing to actually inform anyone about what the Missouri ballot actually says or means.
I get the feeling that the most anyone bothered to do was read the fair ballot language, not the full text (which is what most folks do):
Constitutional Amendment 2I guess the difference between the fair ballot language and the actual text of the initiative suggests that the bill drafters did a poor job - and failed to communicate the true extent and nature of this piece of legislation.
A "yes" vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to allow and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies, and cures which will:
ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law;
ban human cloning or attempted cloning;
require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of any stem cell research;
impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations; and
prohibit state or local governments from preventing or discouraging lawful research, therapies and cures.
A "no" vote would not ensure that stem cell research permitted under federal law is allowed to be conducted in Missouri and that Missouri patients have access to stem cell therapies and cures permitted under federal law.
This measure will have no impact on taxes.
The latter problem is not isolated in Missouri. It's a problem that is prevelant around the country. In Arizona, a ballot initiative calling for early child care reliant upon a tobacco tax increase will be shortchanged by 79.2 cents per pack of cigarettes because someone did not fact check that the ballot as printed was for .8 cents per pack.
Early-childhood-education and health programs on next month's ballot could lose millions of dollars if a misplaced decimal point is interpreted technically.The misplaced decimal point can and should lead to legal suits challenging the legality of the initiative. It would also mean a loss of $186 million in revenues that would have gone to the programs.
Proposition 203 is built around an 80-cent-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes to pay for the programs. But the ballot language calls for an ".80 cent/pack" tax increase, or 1/100th of what backers say they intended. That's less than 1 cent per pack.
Whoops.
UPDATE:
Others noting Fox's admissions: Stop the ACLU (and here), Flopping Aces, Sister Toldjah, AJ Strata, The Anchoress, and Small Dead Animals.
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