Two lawmakers plan to challenge a human-cloning provision in constitutional amendment narrowly approved by voters in November, the Kansas City Star reported.
Amendment 2, the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, passed with just 51 percent of the vote last month. The initiative allows researchers to create embryonic human life for the purpose of extracting stem cells -- a process that always results in the death of the embryo. It will also allow scientists to clone human embryos for research.
State Sen. Matt Bartle and state Rep. Jim Lembke, both Republicans, announced Tuesday a proposal that would clarify the intent of the people of Missouri.
"We believe the message sent by voters on Nov. 7 was that they want to ban human cloning," Lembke said. "Amendment 2 had a loophole a mile wide, and this would close that loophole by banning all human cloning, including research cloning."
If approved by the Legislature, the proposal would appear on the 2008 ballot.
