Cynthia Davis outlines pro-life legislation

In her latest weekly column, Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, outlines the latest in pro-life legislation:

During economically depressed times, it is more important than ever to protect the taxpayers. Last week our caucus met in Jefferson City to discuss the priorities for the next session. The state government’s budget is about 11% below projection for this year. Rather than seeing this as a negative, this is a great opportunity to reprioritize. We need to clarify what is important and what is not. The vital functions of Missouri’s government will continue, but some of our state expenditures need to be reshaped.

I am proposing a House Joint Resolution so that the voters of Missouri can make their opinion known. House Joint Resolution 49, “The Missouri Taxpayer Protection Initiative”, is remarkably short and simple:

Shall it be unlawful to expend, pay, or grant any public funds for abortion not medically necessary to save the life of the mother, for abortion services, for human cloning, or for prohibited human research?

We should all want an honest debate. This resolution allows the voters to decide if they want their public tax dollars funding abortion, cloning and human experimentation with living embryos that have been relinquished by their parents.

The amendment does not stop controversial research. It only restricts who pays for the kind of research that violates the consciences of those who believe in the dignity of human life. Who should decide how tax dollars are spent? The bureaucrats who stand to get a windfall or the taxpayers to whom this government belongs? This proposal will not affect those who want to perform abortions, human cloning and experimentation on frozen human beings whose parents have signed them away. It merely requires questionable research to be funded with private money.

During an economic downturn, it is especially important to protect the taxpayers from having their hard earned money wasted. The proposed constitutional amendment has the potential of saving the state from squandering millions of taxpayer dollars on projects that may lead to a dead end. If this research is viable and based upon promising results, it is capable of developing through business capital and entrepreneurship without consuming public money. The laboratories studying cures through adult stem cell research are already finding success. Why not work on projects that are humane, wholesome and do not harm the consciences of scientists or taxpayers?

Protecting human life is a very progressive and noble position to take. It is not appropriate for us to presume that all scientists want to do abortions and human embryo experimentation. Why let those who want to destroy innocent human life perform these acts in a state that respects and dignifies life?

Here is an online article that recently appeared revealing what I hope to accomplish with this resolution:

Missouri Representative Files Bill to Stop Funding of Abortion, Cloning, ESCR
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 1, 2009
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Today, the first day Missouri lawmakers can file legislation in advance of the next legislative session, one pro-life state representative has filed a bill to stop taxpayer funding of abortion, human cloning, and embryonic stem cell research because they all destroy human life.

Representative Cynthia Davis, a Republican from O’Fallon who is the chair of the Special Standing Committee on Children and Families in the Missouri House, is behind the new bill.

Davis filed a House Joint Resolution, H.J.R. 49, along with six other members of the House.

"This Joint Resolution I filed will allow Missouri taxpayers to make sure their hard-earned tax dollars will not go to pay for abortions not medically necessary to save the life of the mother, abortion services, human cloning or embryo destructive research," she said in a statement LifeNews.com obtained today.

"We are guardians of the taxpayer’s money and public tax dollars in these tough economic times. I speak for all the Missourians who do not want their tax dollars to go for procedures that are controversial and that a large percentage of Missourians find morally reprehensible,” she said.

She said the measure makes sense at a time when state and national residents are "demanding greater accountability and fiscal integrity from their elected representatives."

Davis, a well-known fiscal conservative who has a reputation for being a watchdog for the taxpayers, filed the Resolution to remedy a developing problem of money being funneled to abortion services or other research.

Todd Jones, the director of the Missouri Roundtable for Life, told LifeNews.com that a recent court case in Cole County Circuit Court has clarified that certain restrictions passed in 2003 under the authorship of the late Representative Richard Byrd have been struck down.

Those restrictions made clear that Life Sciences Research Trust Fund dollars would not be spent on abortion services, human cloning, and other destructive research. As a result, Davis' bill becomes more necessary.

Davis’ filing of H.J.R. 49 follows on the hard-fought efforts of Representative Brian Nieves, and 60 bipartisan co-sponsors, filing H.J.R. 38 in the House and Senator Jim Lembke filing S.J.R. 17 in the Senate during the last legislative session.

Last session, members of the House voted 114 to 37 for Representative Allen Icet’s placement of restrictions on the use of taxpayer funds for those anti-life practices.

If the legislature approves the resolution, the amendment would appear on the ballot during the next general election in 2010 or a special election if called by Governor Jay Nixon, who backs abortion.

“Missouri Roundtable for Life thanks Representative Davis for taking leadership on this issue to protect Missouri taxpayers and for finding six other House members to co-sponsor H.J.R 49,” Jones told LifeNews.com today.

"Missourians need to stop the raid of the Missouri treasury by fringe special interest groups like Planned Parenthood and others who seek taxpayer dollars for abortion services and human cloning. The time to stop that raid is now," he said.