Monday, April 25, 2005
New Missouri Anti-abortion Law Has Implications for Stem Cell Research
An anti-abortion bill passed in the Missouri Senate may have implications for stem cell research in the state. The new abortion restrictions, sponsored by Sen. John Louden, a St. Louis Country Republican, change the way the legislature's intent is defined. Current law reads “to grant the right to life to all humans, born and unborn, and to regulate abortion to the full extent permitted.” The new bill reads, “to recognize and affirm the right to life of all humans, whether in utero or not.”
“There is no question that ‘in utero or not' is a world of difference from ‘born or unborn,' all of which happens within a woman's body,” says David Welte, general counsel of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City. The wording has implications far beyond the cutting-edge stem cell research that Stowers plans, he says.
“There is no question that ‘in utero or not' is a world of difference from ‘born or unborn,' all of which happens within a woman's body,” says David Welte, general counsel of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City. The wording has implications far beyond the cutting-edge stem cell research that Stowers plans, he says.
