By Sarah Green
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Jan.
8
Missouri voters last November approved changing their state constitution to
allow stem cell research. But heading into the 2007 legislative session, it seems apparent Kansas lawmakers have little appetite for reviving the controversial issue here. Instead, they say it needs more study.
“There”s still a lot of learning going on,” said Rep. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing.
Wilk, a supporter of expanding bioscience businesses, said the issue came up as he spoke to fellow legislative candidates across the state last fall during the campaign for his ultimately unsuccessful bid to be the House speaker. Wilk”s position on the stem cell issue
study it but leave it alone for now
seemed the approach favored by most lawmakers he talked to.
“Having said that, for the Legislature to continue to educate itself is critical,” Wilk said. “I think that should occur in the right format, not while we”re debating legislation. We need to keep the dialogue open in an educational format.”
A likely major resource for legislators is a report being prepared by the
Kansas Health Policy Authority.
Legislators last session told the authority to prepare a document on the different types of stem cell research, said Megan Ingmire, health authority spokesperson.
But there”s no date for the health policy authority”s study to be completed, Ingmire said.
Former Rep. Mary Pilcher Cook, R-Shawnee,
introduced a bill in the 2005 session (.pdf; 25k)
that would have prohibited human cloning and research involving embryos, which are necessary components for some types of stem cell research. That bill failed to advance beyond committee.
Stem cell research is not specifically outlawed in Kansas, but neither is any being done here, researchers say.
The Kansas
Coalition for
Lifesaving Cures
, a group that supports stem cell research, doesn”t plan to lobby this year for protecting the research, said Lori Hutfles, the group”s executive director.
The coalition instead plans to wait until the health policy authority releases its report before calling for any changes.
“We”re keeping our eyes open,” Hutfles said.
Not everyone is looking forward to the health policy authority”s report.
David Gittrich, state development director for
Kansans For Life
, a group that opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell testing, said asking the health policy authority to research the matter was a bad move.
“We are absolutely opposed to the Kansas Health Authority performing a task that was specifically given to the Legislature,” Gittrich said. “We are extremely upset about the Legislature passing that off to a non-accountable agency.”
His organization plans to ask for legislation that prevents cloning and embryonic research, he said.
Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at
sgreen@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.