MRL Legislative Action Alert!

House Committee Eliminates Funding for Abortion Alternatives

The Alternatives to Abortion program helps expectant mothers at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level by providing counseling and health care services to assist mothers in carrying their child to term and after the child’s birth. The program saves innocent human lives.

The House Committee on Mental Health, Health and Social Services recommended on Tuesday, February 16, the complete elimination of funding for the Alternatives to Abortion program. MRL urges the legislature to restore the $1.9 million to the budget for this life-saving program.

Please call your state representative and urge them to support an amendment to restore the funding for the Alternatives to Abortion program.

Legislature Promotes Economic Development Legislation Without Pro-Life Protections

Numerous economic development bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that provides tax credits or other incentives for certain research and development in the fields of life science, biology and pharmaceuticals. Missouri Right to Life urges the legislature to adopt protective language that would ensure that innocent human lives are not sacrificed in this research.

Without the protective language, this legislation could provide incentives to entities wishing to do research that would endanger or destroy human embryos. It is unethical to destroy human life in the name of science and such research should not be enabled by tax credits or other financial incentives.

Please call your state senator and representative and urge them to support adopting pro-life protective language to any and all economic development proposals.

See MRL’s Press Release of February 18 on House passage of incentives for unethical research.

And for more information on MRL’s economic development position, see our memorandum to Legislators early this year regarding Life Sciences and Appropriations.

Pro-Life Protections Must Be Added to “Economic Development” Legislation

A memo from Missouri Right to Life:

SENATE BEGINS DEBATE ON
LIFE-DESTROYING LEGISLATION
UNDER THE TITLE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Background:

This week, the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House have succumbed to lobbying from organizations that support human cloning and embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) in numerous economic development pieces of legislation.

The Senate and the House are advancing legislation, SB 572 sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-23), and HB 1029, sponsored by Rep. Shane Schoeller (R-139). This legislation creates the Science and Reinvestment Act establishing a board and fund to disburse state money to new research companies without providing limitations on the kind of research that can be done with these public funds. The list of companies eligible for this funding includes drug and pharmaceutical companies and other research organizations. These companies are given no limitations in SB 572 or HB 1029 from engaging in the destruction of human beings at their earliest stages of development through human cloning or embryonic stem cell research. Embryos created through in-vitro fertilization and those created through human cloning could be killed in order to produce a product for resale. It would be very difficult if not impossible to monitor the use of these funds and the numbers of lives lost. Among the supporters of this legislation is Donn Rubin who was a key leader and supporter of Amendment 2.

Missouri Right to Life has stood alone in its opposition to this legislation. To date, there has been no movement to place pro-life protective language on any economic development bill. It was suggested in one of the hearings that the appropriation process would be the safeguard that would prohibit the destruction of human beings at the earliest stages of life. However, appropriations are dependent on the legislators and leadership in control of appropriations. With term limits, elections and individual beliefs on human cloning, ESCR and abortion, there are no guarantees to prevent future funding of unethical research. Pro-life protections need to be attached to legislation establishing a board that will be responsible for distribution of state funds.

Action Needed:

Please call your state representative and your state senator and urge them to oppose SB 572 & HB 1029 and any economic development legislation until pro-life protections are added.

Link to HB 1029
Link to SB 572
Link to Senators
Link to Representatives

View memo online

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