Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

What's in store for Missouri: A summary of election issue results
By Marissa Van Robey
The Capaha Arrow (Southeast Missouri State U.)
12/29/2006

(U-WIRE) CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Proposition B: Raising minimum wage

The minimum wage will increase from $5.15 to $6.50 in January for Missourians.

While a few percentage points decided many amendments, Proposition B was passed by 75.6 percent of voters, according to Give Missourians a Raise.

Amendment 2: Stem cell research

About 51 percent of Missouri's voters voted yes on the stem cell initiative. The amendment states that Missourians will have the right to all stem cell research, therapies and cures permitted under federal law. The amendment also includes that "no person my clone or attempt to clone another human being."

Two opposing groups emerged during this debate: Missourians Against Human Cloning and the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. Missourians Against Human Cloning called the amendment deceptive. The group feels that the use of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), which is the process used in cloning Dolly the sheep, is a form of cloning.

The amendment will allow embryonic cells to be researched. Embryonic cells, unlike adult cells are pluripotent, meaning that they can become all cell types within the body, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Members of the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures argue that using the cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries such as Diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, sickle cell disease, cancer, heart disease and spinal cord injury.

Amendment 3: Raising the cigarette tax

A narrow margin of votes kept Missourians from raising the cigarette tax from 17 cents per pack to 97.

Missourians Against Tax Abuse (MATA) opposed the tax increase, citing that it was a 470 percent increase.

BJC HealthCare, with the American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the American Cancer Association, joined the Committee for a Healthy Future (CHF), which supported an increase in cigarette tax.

Missouri Baptist Hospital cited that BJC supported Amendment 3 because Missouri has some of the highest rates of smoking in the country, but yet is the lowest in smoking prevention programs.

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