Proposition 71 and Stem Cell Research

Posted by Sappho on July 30th, 2004 filed in News and Commentary

It’s politics Friday. I was going to write about Proposition 71, the November California ballot proposition that aims to fund stem cell research. I figured I might as well hit this one in the same week I’ve been blogging abortion. But I’m not up for writing a lot about it right now. I collected all my links beforehand, though, so I’ll blog those, along with a very quick summary of the issue.

Stem cells are a sort of repair system for the body, which can divide and replenish other cells. There are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. These have different advantages and disadvantages as potential sources for cell-based regenerative therapies. Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos which were fertilized for IVF and not used, if these embryos are donated for research.

Human stem cells have potential uses in cell-based therapies for a variety of diseases. According to the National Institute of Health

Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

President Bush established a Council on Bioethics which produced a report on stem cell research in January, 2004. More directly relevant to the California Proposition 71, though, Bush had already, prior to this report, established Eligibility Criteria for Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research which more strictly limited the use of embryonic stem cells than had the guidelines in effect under the Clinton administration. Under the new eligibility criteria, federal funding is limited to research involving a specific set of already existing embryonic stem cell lines, ones where the derivation process had already been initiated prior to August 9, 2001. The Clinton administration had permitted the use of public funds for embryonic stem cell research, as long as the extraction of the stem cells had been performed with private funds.

The California legislature addressed stem cell research in 2002 by passing a bill which permitted embryonic stem cell research in the state, and established a framework for overseeing research; this bill, however, did not authorize funding for stem cell research.

Now, petitions have been submitted placing a proposition on the ballot, Proposition 71, which would fund embryonic stem cell research in this state. As the Wall Street Journal puts it

The California ballot drive is the most ambitious plan yet by advocates to chart a course independent of federal policy. The initiative’s backers believe California is the only state that can pull off a scientific secession of this magnitude. The state’s economy is among the world’s six largest, and it is home to 40% of all U.S. biotechnology companies.

However, the initiative faces the challenge of winning support for new funding in a state which is currently in fiscal crisis.

Supporters of Proposition 71 argue