Vote no on destroying life for research

To the editor:

I am a 14-year-old Type I diabetic and would supposedly benefit from the passage of Amendment 2. I am urging you to vote no on Amendment 2.

Many high-profile people and organizations have come together to promote the use of all stem cells for research, including embryonic stem cells. There are many kinds of stem cells that are ethically acceptable to use in many research projects. However, Amendment 2 would allow researchers to use embryonic stem cells, which are taken from the destruction of a microscopic, living human being.

The proponents of Amendment 2 would have you believe this tiny group of cells is not a person or is not a clone. They are wrong. They have changed the definition of what a clone is, therefore allowing them to say they are not cloning.

I was taught that destroying one life to benefit another's is never OK, even if the one benefiting was me.

Everyone started out as tiny cells. As cells, we did not have a voice to determine our fate. We depended on older, wiser adults to help us grow and mature.

During the past 20 years of research, embryonic stems cells have not been proven to be beneficial. They can form tumors and are unstable, and there is a possibility of immune rejection. This proves that these cells are not the safest cells to use for research, and it provides further evidence against the usefulness of this amendment to our Missouri Constitution. Vote no.

SHANNON BRENNAN, Cape Girardeau