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Ray, from what I read from the below news release, it could be affected "if" the Costa Rica treaty is approved today at the UN and countries ratify it by what ever methods countries use to ratify treaties. If for example the treaty, as proposed, is ratified by the U.S. Congress, any cloning .... even in the petri dish will be criminalized. The reality of it all is probably the Costa Treaty proposal will be modified to permit therapeutic cloning along with more cloning of "Dolly the sheep" which is permitted in the present proposal. Another caveat is the way Prop questions are proposed in California. Propositions can be proposed by petition in California, appropriating money without the oversight of the legislature and govenor, potentially bankrupting the state. The cost of this proposal is 2.95 trillion dollars over a 10 year period. BTW President Bush's support to the Costa Rica treaty wasn't widely reported. The wire stories of the speech contained the White House version that omitted the cloning remarks. The copies supplied the delegates must have been edited also. Start of press release Under the measure, which will appear on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, organized by the Californians for Stem Cell Research and Cures, would provide $295 million in state funds annually for 10 years to one University of California campus, as well as institutes and companies in the state that conduct embryonic stem cell research. The initiative would provide grants and loans to organizations that use stem cells derived from human embryos that are less than two weeks old. The measure also would create a 29-member panel -- appointed by the governor, University of California chancellors and other officials -- that would determine allocation of the grants, which would be provided only to California organizations. If the ballot measure is successful, California would become the first state to publicly fund embryonic stem cell research, which some scientists believe could lead to treatments or cures for diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. However, some opponents say the research is immoral because it requires the destruction of human embryos (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 9/1). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn