KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A cloning scandal in South Korea may affect the stem-cell debate in Missouri.

KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that Missouri residents will likely vote in November to protect scientists in the state who want to do this early stem-cell research. But some people want to ban that work, claiming the research kills human embryos.

But South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk may be academically ruined because his claim that he developed 11 human stem-cell lines is a lie; all he really did was clone a dog.

"Now, that it's been shown the research is a fraud, the stem-cell research is back at the starting line," said Dr. John Morris, of Rockhurst University.

The South Korean research was considered important because it was thought it proved scientists in the laboratory could develop human cells that could cure Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases, Mahoney reported.

What is the impact of the South Korean scandal?

"We don't believe some problems somewhere else the world will affect our issues, which is really about patient rights to these cures after they are discovered," said Sandra Aust, who favors a stem-cell vote.

Emphasising patient rights to the research may be a shift, Mahoney reported. Until now, early stem-cell boosters talked of the promise of cures.

"Where's the promise if the research that's supposed to set up those cures doesn't work?" said John Morris, who opposes a stem-cell vote.

"Our initiative is really about patient rights. The rights of doctors and scientists to do the medical research work here in Missouri," Aust said.

Aust said that early stem-cell research has only been going on for a few years.