Big Names, Bucks Back Stem Cell Bid On California Ballot
Measure looks to get around Bush administration restrictions on research funding
By PAUL ELIAS - Associated Press

Sept. 5, 2004, 12:14AM

SAN FRANCISCO - Silicon Valley tycoons, Nobel laureates and Hollywood
celebrities are backing a measure on California's Nov. 2 ballot to devote $3 billion
to human embryonic stem cell experiments in what would be the biggest-ever state-
supported scientific research program in the country.

The measure — designed to get around the Bush administration's restrictions on
the funding of such research — would put California at the forefront of the field.

It would dwarf all current stem cell projects in the United States, whether privately or
publicly financed.

Proposition 71 promises to be one of the most contentious election issues in
California, pitting scientists, sympathetic patients who could benefit from stem cells
and biotechnology interests against the Roman Catholic Church and conservatives
opposed to the research because it involves destroying days-old embryos and
cloning.

What's more, cell research has emerged as a major campaign issue between
President Bush and John Kerry, who promises if elected to reverse Bush's 2001
policy restricting federal funding of such experiments to only those cell lines already
in existence.

The measure would authorize the state to sell $3 billion in bonds and then dispense
nearly $300 million a year for 10 years to researchers for human embryonic stem
cell experiments, including cloning projects intended solely for research purposes.

Many scientists believe stem cells hold vast promise for treating an array of
diseases including diabetes and Parkinson's. Stem cells can potentially grow into
any type of human tissue, and scientists hope to be able to direct the blank cells to
grow into specific cell types needed for transplant.

Stem cells are harvested from embryos, which are destroyed in the process. They
were discovered in 1997, and even the research's most enthusiastic supporters
acknowledge that medicines created with stem cells are still many years away.

Twenty-two Nobel laureates and many other scientists support Proposition 71 as a
way to get around the Bush administration restrictions.

They complain that the political climate has brought the field to a virtual standstill in
the United States.

Many expect Proposition 71 to instantly breathe new life into the research while also
boosting California's biotechnology industry.

"If this proposition is accepted, it will place California at the forefront of stem cell
research and therapies,"said Leonard Zon, president of the International Society for
Stem Cell Research.

The vote could be close: An independent poll released Aug. 15 found that 45
percent of 534 likely voters questioned were in favor of the measure, 42 percent
were opposed and 13 percent undecided.

The pro-Proposition 71 side has raised far more money than the opposition camp:
more than $12 million versus just $15,000, according to campaign-finance records
filed last week.

Silicon Valley tycoons such as Google investor John Doerr and eBay founder Pierre
Omidyar have donated millions. Real estate developer Robert Klein II has donated
$2 million. Klein's son suffers from juvenile diabetes.

Several prominent Republicans have also endorsed the research, most notably
former first lady Nancy Reagan.

The measure has also been endorsed by actors Michael J. Fox, who has
Parkinson's, and Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in a riding accident.

Opponents of Proposition 71 concede they will be fortunate if they raise $1 million
by November.

They said they will have to wage a small-scale campaign even as the pro-
Proposition 71 side prepares to open a TV-advertising blitz.

"This is something that was put on the ballot by venture capitalists and people who
stand to benefit," said opposition campaign manager Wayne Johnson. "The more
voters find out about this measure, the more they'll turn against it."

State budget hawks, including the California Republican Party, oppose the measure
because it would sink the state deeper into debt.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on Proposition 71, and many
predict he will not do so. Schwarzenegger has said he supports human embryonic
stem cell research, but he has also vowed to stop California's slide into debt.

SOURCE: Associated Press / Houston Chronicle, TX
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2777850

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