New Lembke-Bartle Amendment Would Ban Human Cloning, Restore Legislative Responsibilities
News Commentary by Jim Day

    As many readers know, on December 19, 2006 two stalwart champions of life, State Representative Jim Lembke (R-South St. Louis County) and State Senator Matt Bartle (R-Lee's Summit, MO) announced the introduction of a resolution (constitutional amendment) to ban human cloning in Missouri; something which the incredibly deceptive Amendment 2 (that was narrowly passed by a 51 to 49 percent margin this past November) failed to do.
    Just prior to going to press with our February Pro-Life issue, we found out that the initial resolution had been adjusted. According to Rep. Lembke, the purpose of the new Lembke-Bartle resolution will be two-fold: 1. To restore the legislative responsibilities and prerogatives of taxation, appropriations, and legislation to their rightful place, which is under the purview of our duly elected representatives and, 2. To prohibit ALL HUMAN CLONING in the State of Missouri and thus close the loophole that was purposefully placed in the Missouri Constitution via passage of Amendment 2 that permits human cloning.
    At press time the following excerpt was obtained by the MetroVoice from the draft text of the new joint resolution which Rep. Lembke and Sen. Bartle are proposing. (Please be advised that through the legislative process this language may change.)       Excerpt from the Lembke-Bartle House Joint Resolution:
    Section 38(e).  1 At all times, the general assembly of this state retains the right to enact laws concerning health care research for the people of this state and to control taxation, appropriations, and use of public resources for health care research.
    2. It is unlawful to use human cloning, or any stem cells derived from human cloning in stem cell research.  For the purpose of this section and section 38(d) of this article, “human cloning” means the creation of a human embryo by any means other than the fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm.
    3. The provisions of this section supersede any provision of section 38(d) of this article that is inconsistent with this section.

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Eight Reasons Why Abortion is Bad for Women
By Georgette Forney

    Women from the National Organization of Women scoffed at me as I held my homemade sign that said “I Regret Choosing Abortion.”  As I walked away I thought of all the people who had contacted me, seeking help for the pain, shame and guilt they felt for having abortions.
    That’s when the seed for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign was planted. Since that day, Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life have worked to raise awareness about the devastating effect abortion has on women and men. We want to expose the secrecy and silence surrounding abortion and heal the pain. I’ve learned that personal experience outweighs theories discussed by policy makers and judges. I’ve also identified the top eight reasons why abortion is harmful to women, which are as follows:

    1. Abortion is bad for women because it creates more problems than it solves.

    After an abortion many women find themselves dealing with increased use of drugs and/or alcohol to deaden their pain, reoccurring insomnia and nightmares, eating disorders, suicidal feelings, and many even attempt suicide. Difficulty in maintaining or developing relationships. Loneliness, isolation, anger, fears of the unknown, indecisiveness and a sense of self-hatred.  Since 2001, 15 studies have focused on the psychological affects of abortion. These studies underscore the fact that evidence-based medicine does not support the conjecture that abortion will protect women from ‘serious danger’ to their mental health. It indicates just the opposite!     For instance, Kathy had a saline abortion. A saline solution was injected into her fetus’s body, poisoning him to death. Kathy never grieved her abortion, and when she had children she began to experience intrusive thoughts about poisoning them. Very gentle and soft-spoken, Kathy was terrified. She sought counseling, and identified the root: her saline abortion. Her mourning over her abortion had mutated into these intrusive thoughts as a way to re-live her emotional experience. They stopped once she admitted her pain, and grieved her abortion. Though most women who have abortions do not act upon these intrusive thoughts, their torment affects their mental health and their relationship with their living children.

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