The source of this story is Reuters: http://tinyurl.com/5wjos

Calif. Voters Lean Toward Stem Cell Measure-Poll

Thu Sep 23,10:57 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A majority of likely voters in California favor a ballot proposal that would authorize $3 billion in state bonds to fund controversial stem cell research, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The referendum, on the Nov. 2 ballot, would create the largest pool of public funding for such research in the United States at a time when the Bush administration has sharply curtailed spending on studies involving embryonic stem cells.

Backers of the initiative, including Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires, argue that such research could potentially lead to cures for diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes.

A survey by the Los Angeles Times showed that while most voters had not yet formed an opinion on the ballot measure known as Proposition 71, a majority expressed support once they were read the proposal itself.

The survey showed 54 percent of likely voters in California said they were inclined to vote for the stem cell proposal, compared with 32 percent who said they would vote against it.

Fourteen percent said they were not sure.

Only 2 of 10 voters surveyed by the newspaper agreed with opponents who argue that stem cell research is ethically wrong because it uses cells from viable human embryos.

The Los Angeles Times Poll was conducted by telephone between Sept. 17 and Sept. 21 -- before the start of a television advertising campaign by backers of Proposition 71.

The survey of 1,627 adults in the state included 861 respondents deemed likely to vote in November.

Backers of Proposition 71 include a coalition of business groups, scientists and patient advocates.

Palo Alto real-estate developer Robert Klein and venture capitalist John Doerr have contributed to the campaign for the proposal. Celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's, and Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in an accident, also support the stem cell measure. Former first lady Nancy Reagan has also come out for stem cell research.

The ballot proposal would establish a constitutional right within California to conduct stem cell research, while outlawing reproductive cloning research.

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