Michigan Votes To Expand Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 06 Nov 2008 - 8:00 PST

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Michigan's Proposal 2 -- a ballot measure to amend the state constitution to allow embryos created for fertility treatments that otherwise would be discarded to be used for stem cell research -- passed Tuesday with 52% of voters in support of the measure and 48% opposed to it, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. Ninety-three percent of Michigan precincts had reported Wednesday morning, according to the AP/Tribune. "This is a great night for the state of Michigan," Sean Morrison, director of University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology, said, adding, "Clearly the voters saw through the misinformation and fear that the opposition were spreading." Morrison added that he expects "in the short term millions of new dollars of grants to come from the federal government and private foundations to support the expanded research." According to the AP/Tribune, college graduates and people who have completed post-graduate work contributed the strongest support for the proposal. Blacks, people under age 30 and self-reported liberals also showed strong support for the measure. Groups that strongly opposed the measure were high school graduates and drop-outs, as well as self-described white evangelicals or born-again Christians (Karoub, AP/Chicago Tribune, 11/5).

According to the Detroit Free Press, proponents of the measure -- led by the bipartisan Cure Michigan -- said embryonic stem cells have the potential to create treatments and cures for several diseases. Opponents -- led by Right to Life of Michigan and the Michigan Catholic Conference -- argued that the proposal would limit the state legislature's power to regulate embryonic stem cell research and that taxpayers would eventually pay for the cost of the research (Satyanarayana, Detroit Free Press, 11/5). Although embryonic stem cell research is legal in Michigan under current law, new stem cell lines cannot be created within the state under a 1978 law that banned the destruction of embryos for research purposes (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 11/3).

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