California Voters Divided in Support of Ballot Measure That Would Fund Stem Cell Research

California voters are "almost evenly divided" on a ballot measure that would provide the state with nearly $3 billion in funding for human embryonic stem cell research, according to a Field Poll survey released on Sunday, Reuters reports (Reuters, 8/15). Under the measure, which will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot as Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, organized by Californians for Stem Cell Research and Cures, would provide $295 million in state funds annually for 10 years to California schools, institutes and companies that conduct embryonic stem cell research. The initiative would provide grants and loans to organizations that use stem cells derived from human embryos that are less than two weeks old. The measure also would create a 29-member panel -- appointed by the governor, University of California chancellors and other officials -- that would determine allocation of the grants, which would be provided only to California organizations. If the ballot measure is successful, California would become the first state to publicly fund embryonic stem cell research, which some scientists believe...