Aggregated News
It_s not easy fighting a $20 million-backed media blitz supporting Proposition 71 for stem cell research, but the shallow-pocketed opponents are still trying to get the word out that the measure is not the only way to fund the potentially life-saving research.
Unlike religious groups that oppose embryonic stem cell research on moral grounds, the progressive Center for Genetics and Society is spreading the message that Proposition 71 makes the state give at least $3 billion at a time of fiscal crisis while unfairly enriching biotechnology companies and researchers.
Medical Geneticist Dr. Paul Billings said he supports stem cell research, but opposes the proposition because biotech firms could potentially own stem cell technology.
_The ownership of these cells is already murky and it_s only going to get worse,_ Billings said.
He said the information ought to be open to all firms, similar to open-source computer technology, to find cures faster.
He added the research would be better routed through the National Institutes of Health, the federal agency that mapped the human genome.
Others say the federal government_s weak $25 million...
Unlike religious groups that oppose embryonic stem cell research on moral grounds, the progressive Center for Genetics and Society is spreading the message that Proposition 71 makes the state give at least $3 billion at a time of fiscal crisis while unfairly enriching biotechnology companies and researchers.
Medical Geneticist Dr. Paul Billings said he supports stem cell research, but opposes the proposition because biotech firms could potentially own stem cell technology.
_The ownership of these cells is already murky and it_s only going to get worse,_ Billings said.
He said the information ought to be open to all firms, similar to open-source computer technology, to find cures faster.
He added the research would be better routed through the National Institutes of Health, the federal agency that mapped the human genome.
Others say the federal government_s weak $25 million...