Statement on Cloning
                  THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI SYNOD 
                  International Center 
                    1333 South Kirkwood Road 
                    Saint Louis, MO 63122-7295 
                    (314) 965-9917, ext. 1402 
                    FAX (314) 996-1119 
                    E-mail: President@lcms.org 
                   
                  Office of the President 
                    The Reverend Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick 
                    President of the Synod
                  As always in issues that deal with the sanctity 
                    of human life, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod adheres 
                    to the fundamental truth that life begins at conception. This 
                    church body will always reaffirm and celebrate life, and we 
                    will always protect the sanctity of human life. 
                  The Synod, at its 1998 Synod convention, passed a resolution 
                    directing its members to "reject without reservation as contrary 
                    to God's Word any technique or method of human cloning that 
                    results in the destruction of human embryos or the creation 
                    of human embryos for the purposes of fetal tissue research 
                    or organ harvesting or transplantation." 
                  The current cloning debate revolves around whether so-called 
                    therapeutic cloning should be permitted under law. Since "therapeutic 
                    cloning" would result in the destruction of human embryos, 
                    we reject this practice as contrary to the Word of God and 
                    our 1998 resolution. It is for this reason that The Lutheran 
                    Church-Missouri Synod supports the Brownback Cloning Ban, 
                    Senate Bill S. 1899, since this bill clearly bans not only 
                    reproductive cloning, but also so-called therapeutic cloning. 
                  -The Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President 
                  The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod  |