Does this initiative prohibit human cloning?

No. The central issue with this proposed constitutional amendment is the process of SCNT. SCNT, or somatic cell nuclear transfer, is the scientific term used for cloning. While there are different types of cloning, SCNT is the basic and most common technique used for human cloning.

Cloning (SCNT) begins with surgically removing an egg from a woman’s ovaries. The nucleus of the egg is taken out and replaced with nucleus of a cell from the person to be cloned (the donor). Then, instead of fertilization, the cell is induced to begin dividing. If successful, the result is a newly cloned individual who begins the same process of human development that we all experience.

The first cell formed is a cloned human at the earliest stage of human development. That cell is called a zygote. The cloned zygote then grows into a blastocyst – sometimes called an embryo. The terms zygote, blastocyst, and embryo are all terms which describe early stages human development.

Human cloning should not be allowed in the state of Missouri. We adamantly oppose any attempt by scientists to clone or attempt to clone a human being.

The ballot initiative currently under discussion would enshrine a right to human cloning in our state constitution and would allow taxpayer dollars to be used for this research.

Can a cloned embryo develop into an adult?

Yes. In animals there are examples of cloned embryos that have developed into adulthood. Dolly, the sheep, created through SCNT (cloning) is one example. There are also cloned embryos of mice, cats and cattle that have been allowed to develop into adult animals.

In humans, no cloned embryo has ever developed beyond a blastocyst (young embryo), but what has been successful in other mammals could also work in humans. To grow and develop past embryo stage would require implantation into a uterus and this has never been attempted, as far as we know.

Would a cloned human embryo provide patient-specific stem cells for treatments?

Actually, no. Cloned embryos actually have small genetic differences that make it impossible for them to be genetically identical to the donor.

Anytime you hear that SCNT or early (embryonic) stem cell research can cure diseases and injuries in patients by providing patient-specific therapies, remember that no actual therapies exist. Even if scientists could overcome the significant technological hurdles that exist with cloning (for example, cloned animals often experience genetic flaws and other defects known to cause cancer), most are not truly identical to their donor which would make any treatment between patient and clone impractical.

Are there concerns about removing eggs from women?

Yes. Many people including environmental and women’s rights organizations have concerns about SCNT. Judy Norsigian, prominent feminist and author of Our Bodies, Ourselves, wrote in the Boston Globe on February 25, 2005:

“There is a disturbing lack of attention to the risks to women's health posed by the advent of embryo cloning…Omitted from the polarized debate is any discussion of the thousands of women who will need to undergo egg extraction procedures for such embryo cloning. A primary concern is the substantial risks to women's health posed by the extraction procedure and the inability to obtain true informed consent from egg donors given the current lack of adequate safety data.”

Since women are sometimes paid to donate their eggs, some people believe that this cloning process would exploit poor young women.

For more information on the risks to women, please see our booklet, Women's Voices Against Cloning.

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