Aggregated News
Although polls show voters evenly divided, the battle over a California ballot initiative to create a taxpayer-funded institute for embryonic stem cell research would appear to be a lopsided affair, judging by official records of contributions.
Those favoring Proposition 71 have raised more than $12 million, while opponents have amassed just $115,000.
Proponents include Microsoft's Bill Gates, who gave $400,000. Venture capitalist John Doerr, an early backer of Internet search engine Google, also contributed, as did eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
Actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Reeve, both suffering from conditions that might one day be helped by stem cell research, also gave money.
Many smaller donors are people like Carol Eisner, whose daughter Emma has juvenile diabetes, one of the diseases researchers hope might be alleviated through stem cell work.
"The potential of our daughter going into a coma, nightmares of amputation and accidental death lurk over our heads like a raven," Eisner said. "We are on the verge of finding a cure; we need new ways of seeking islet cells to replace the ones destroyed in Emma's pancreas."...
Those favoring Proposition 71 have raised more than $12 million, while opponents have amassed just $115,000.
Proponents include Microsoft's Bill Gates, who gave $400,000. Venture capitalist John Doerr, an early backer of Internet search engine Google, also contributed, as did eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
Actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Reeve, both suffering from conditions that might one day be helped by stem cell research, also gave money.
Many smaller donors are people like Carol Eisner, whose daughter Emma has juvenile diabetes, one of the diseases researchers hope might be alleviated through stem cell work.
"The potential of our daughter going into a coma, nightmares of amputation and accidental death lurk over our heads like a raven," Eisner said. "We are on the verge of finding a cure; we need new ways of seeking islet cells to replace the ones destroyed in Emma's pancreas."...