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FROM: Florida Today Dec 22, 6:58 PM Editorial: Searching for cures Florida, like other states, should fund embryonic stem-cell research In the race to harness the enormous healing and life-saving potential of embryonic stem-cell research, Florida may be left in the dust. California is now in the lead, because its voters wisely passed a ballot amendment last month to support the research with $3 billion over the next 10 years. That's despite President Bush's freeze on federal funding for almost all the vital work, which threatens to put the U.S. far behind nations that allow scientists to seek cures for diseases through embryonic stem-cell study. Just as important, the ban on federal grants means the work will instead be done in the private sector with little government oversight, and that could lead to ethical abuses. The situation now is that institutes and labs in California are recruiting stem-cell experts from around the nation and world to spearhead new ventures. That, along with intense interest from firms who want in on the California funding, has led at least five states -- New Jersey, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington and New York -- to consider taxpayer support of stem-cell research. They're afraid to lose their chance at a piece of the biotech investment bonanza heading to California, as Florida should be too. Advances from stem-cell research, if conducted under proper ethical controls, will not only further the noble goal of curing disease, but also bring huge economic benefits to those prescient enough to support it. It would be nice if state lawmakers would craft pro-research legislation to better position Florida to take advantage of those benefits. But, given the stranglehold anti-abortion hard-liners have on the Legislature, that's probably too much to ask. Abortion opponents say use of human embryonic cells for research is immoral, but we don't agree. We do believe, however, that experiments into possible human cloning cross the bar into unacceptable ethical territory. And we believe stem-cell research opponents fail to acknowledge the moral value of saved lives and suffering alleviated that will result as scientists -- using highly adaptive cells from embryos that might otherwise be discarded or those created in a lab by therapeutic cloning -- discover ways to treat disease. Unfortunately, the Legislature in recent years has been squarely in the anti-abortion faction pocket. That's why the ballot initiative process -- though slow and uncertain -- may be the only way to bring stem-cell research work to the Sunshine State. Patient advocacy groups for victims of Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injury and other illnesses want to put a referendum before Florida voters, and we strongly back those plans. We're not alone, either. At least three national polls conducted during 2004 show a majority of the public favors federal funding of research using stem cells from human embryos. And bipartisan national leaders, including many moderate Republicans and 190 co-sponsors of a U.S. House bill, also approve the funding. U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Melbourne, however, is stubbornly opposed to such efforts and each year sponsors legislation that would instead stifle research. We call on Weldon again to reverse his stance. He should instead back laws to ease restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, with close ethical regulation of the work integral to the deal. As more states -- including possibly Florida -- enter the highly competitive race for biotech businesses, that government oversight will be needed to ensure humanitarian goals, and not just profitability, guide medical advances. http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/opedstory1223WSTEMCELLS.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn