Catholic Churches to Distribute Anti-Stem Cell Cards

ST. LOUIS - Roman Catholic parishioners attending Mass this weekend will be asked to sign cards asking the state Legislature to ban a certain form of stem-cell research.

The church plans to distribute nearly 700,000 cards, then will deliver them to legislators in the next few weeks.

The campaign is part of an effort by social and religious conservative groups, who are frustrated with lawmakers and Gov. Matt Blunt over the lack of progress on the proposed ban of a procedure known as therapeutic cloning, which is used to create stem cells.

While a Senate committee approved the bill to ban the procedure in mid-February, it still hasn't been debated by the Senate. Similar legislation in the House has not even been assigned to a committee. And Blunt has said he's likely to veto the ban. A spokesman said Thursday that the governor's position was unchanged.

Larry Weber, executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, which is coordinating the card campaign, tied the lack of legislative action to Blunt's opposition.

The issue has also pitted social conservatives against some of the party's most prominent fiscal conservatives and donors.


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