Missouri Right to Life last week endorsed Democrat Mike Keefe over Republican Mary Kasten and Libertarian Steve Kinder in the Feb. 5 special election in the 158th District Missouri House race.

The endorsement was based on a 13-question candidate survey that covered issues from banning all abortions to embryonic stem-cell research and assisted suicide. Keefe and Kasten replied to the survey, but Kinder did not. While the Missouri Right to Life Web site said the survey was sent by certified mail, Kinder said he never saw it and would have replied.

Missouri Right to Life is one of the state's oldest pro-life organizations. It lobbies the legislature, has a political action committee and maintains a large mailing list of supporters throughout the state. No one could be reached from the organization late Friday.

In his responses to the survey, Keefe took a hard line against abortion for any reason, including saving the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest. He also vowed to vote for measures to require abortion providers to explain the possibility that a fetus can feel pain during an abortion and to offer to show ultrasound pictures of the fetus.

Keefe also told the group he would vote for legislation to ban any use of cloning techniques for stem-cell research and against any measure allowing assisted suicide or the withholding of basic life support without a written directive from the patient.

Kasten differed from Keefe on the extent of the abortion ban she would support, allowing exceptions in the case of rape or incest. She gave no response on questions relating to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and the questions related to assisted suicide and life support.

Kinder, asked the same questions in an interview, mirrored Keefe's positions on all questions except the use of cloning techniques to provide stem-cell lines for research.

Keefe said his views are based in his Catholic faith. "To kill an unborn child is not a resort that should be taken," he said. "There are things, adoption for instance, other things that people can do."

Kasten said she had not been informed of the endorsement decision. Kasten, who seeks to return to a legislative career that spanned 18 years, said she had been generally in step with Missouri Right to Life during her time in office.

"I don't believe in anything that would destroy life," she said. "But when there has been incest or rape, that is a crime."

She also questioned the wording and subject matter of some of the questions. "That right-to-life group, they pick some strange issues."

-- Rudi Keller