The politics of stem cell policy: ballot initiative in Missouri

In of November 2006, Missouri became the first state in the United States to pass a constitutional amendment designed to protect stem cell research in the state when voters approved a citizen-initiated ballot proposal known as Amendment 2. This article examines the juxtaposition of science, religion, politics, and economics surrounding the campaign by the supporters and the opponents of the ballot initiative. The outcome of Amendment 2 was also closely intertwined with the U.S Senate race in Missouri. The article also provides an analysis of the outcome of the ballot initiative through the use of county-level data.