Missouri Cloning Plan Would Promote Exploitation of Women

Brochures mailed in recent weeks to more than 90,000 Missouri homes argue that research protected by the ballot measure would exploit women, luring them into the potentially dangerous practice of egg donation.

The Missouri cloning and human embryo experimentation plan will need eggs to further its research.

The fight over egg donation and its relation to stem cell research centers on a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT.

During the process, the nucleus of a human egg is removed and replaced with the nucleus of another cell. The cell undergoes an electric shock, causing it to divide. The resulting mass of cells, or blastocyst, is used to produce stem cells, a key to fighting disease.

The key to fighting disease? This editorial assertion by the Post is yet unproven using embryonic stem cells. But why let facts get in the way of journalistic integrity?

Opponents of the Missouri ballot measure say they recognize that many voters won't share their views on the definition of when human life begins. As a response, they are pushing the issue of egg donation, arguing that women face medical risks in providing the cells needed for research.

One's view on when life begins is not determined by one's personal views but on solid biological science. With respect to the harvesting of eggs from women, I wonder if I am alone in my revulsion and horror of such a thought. It's ghoulish and scary.

The risks of egg extraction are tied to the use of drugs, which first shut down a woman's ovaries, then stimulate them to produce multiple eggs for harvesting. The drugs have multiple side effects, including blood clots and seizures. Though rare, the complications have resulted in death.

When we see those who have little or no regard for the life of the most innocent among us, there should be no surprise when we also witness that they have little or no regard for the life of others. When human life is cheapened and degraded, when it becomes a marketable commodity, unsuspecting women can be exploited in order to further the desire to obtain lucrative patents.

Bev Ehlen, of the group Missourians Against Human Cloning, has distributed hundreds of the brochures at events across the state. She said voters have been swayed by the concerns over women's health. "It rates up there almost as high as human cloning when we explain it to women," she said.

Even so, Ehlen said she still believes the ballot measure will pass or fail based on voters' opinions about cloning and embryos, rather than fears over egg extraction.

We can only hope that people see through the hype of the slick TV ads promoting the "promise" of some yet-to-be-discovered "cure", obtain by the killing of human embryos. One would hope and pray that many voters will know when they are being sold a bill of goods...