Aggregated News
Plan to let voters decide in 2006
Days after state legislators voted down a largely symbolic measure supporting privately funded stem-cell research, politicians and medical leaders Tuesday announced plans to ask those same lawmakers to support an even broader initiative to publicly fund the promising but controversial medical research.
The proposal, being spearheaded by state Comptroller Dan Hynes, includes the study of embryonic stem cells, which is opposed by the Catholic Church and religious conservatives. It asks the General Assembly to approve placement of a referendum question on the general election ballot in 2006 asking voters to add a 6 percent levy on face-lifts, breast augmentation, Botox injections and other elective plastic surgery procedures--supporters called it the nip/tuck tax--to fund $1 billion in grants and loans for Illinois researchers over 10 years.
Hynes said he didn't want last week's narrow defeat in the Senate to be the final word on stem cells and his efforts should keep the matter on both the political and medical front burners through at least the statewide elections in two years.
"It is the people...
Days after state legislators voted down a largely symbolic measure supporting privately funded stem-cell research, politicians and medical leaders Tuesday announced plans to ask those same lawmakers to support an even broader initiative to publicly fund the promising but controversial medical research.
The proposal, being spearheaded by state Comptroller Dan Hynes, includes the study of embryonic stem cells, which is opposed by the Catholic Church and religious conservatives. It asks the General Assembly to approve placement of a referendum question on the general election ballot in 2006 asking voters to add a 6 percent levy on face-lifts, breast augmentation, Botox injections and other elective plastic surgery procedures--supporters called it the nip/tuck tax--to fund $1 billion in grants and loans for Illinois researchers over 10 years.
Hynes said he didn't want last week's narrow defeat in the Senate to be the final word on stem cells and his efforts should keep the matter on both the political and medical front burners through at least the statewide elections in two years.
"It is the people...