Guest guest Posted October 26, 2004 Report Share Posted October 26, 2004 From the email list of the SF Emergency Coalition to Save Public Health. I've been receiving postings from friends about this other side of Prop. 71 that is not being discussed. Critics say the Prop. was written by corporate representatives, and that if passed, would guarantee public financing for private companies, no matter how bad the state budget becomes. I was in favor of the prop until I heard about this aspect of it. I'm really re-thinking it. I won't be able to watch this show tomorrow, but maybe some of you will. I certainly support stem cell research, but from what I'm reading (I've gotten several emails addressing this aspect of 71, and the Bay Guardian has had a couple of articles about it too), this is not the way to get it. Janice ******************************************** CNA President Deborah Burger, RN To Appear on NBC Today Tuesday. Will Explain Support of Stem Cell Research, But Opposition to Proposition 71 California Nurses Association President Deborah Burger, RN will be a guest Tuesday morning on the NBC Today, October 26 show to address the national debate on stem cell research and Proposition 71, the stem cell related matter on the California ballot. Today runs on NBC affiliates from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. CNA is the leading national voice that supports embryonic stem cell research, but opposes Prop. 71. CNA opposes Prop. 71 for its failure to provide public oversight of the research, the likely use of public funds to further enrich pharmaceutical and biotech corporations, the potential harm to women who participate in the research, and the prospect that the initiative could aggravate disparities in our current healthcare system. Prop. 71 allocates up to $6 billion in state money to fund stem cell research under the management of a newly created, unelected committee that would have broad discretion over the project, what is disclosed to the public, and who, ultimately, would end up with the potentially lucrative profits from the research. The Sacramento Bee reported last week that proponents of the Prop. 71 have spent nearly $28 million, and that about 40% of the contributions have come from venture capitalists, including some who have a history of relationships with the biotech industry. Oversight of the research, including selection of which programs are funded and who owns the patents, is handed to a committee that includes a representative of the biotech industry and others with no public accountability. Major decisions of their work, including records concerning intellectual property and patents, are to remain secret. Recipients of the patents are likely to include firms that are among the world’s largest 75 pharmaceutical and biotech companies that made an aggregate $55 billion in profits last year alone. Additionally, with no effective public supervision over the results of the research, any new treatments are likely to be very costly for individual patients, as is typically the case with expensive new research, continuing the trend towards an increasingly discriminatory two-tier medical system. The outcome of the Prop. 71 vote in California, including how the research is conducted and who benefits, is almost certain to set the pattern for national stem cell research. For more background on CNA’s concerns about Prop. 71 – and to view CNA’s position statement supporting ethical embryonic stem cell research – see the CNA website, www.calnurse.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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