Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

[ecsph] ALERT: CNA President To Appear on NBC Tuesday: Stem Cell Research

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...