Testimony on Stem Cell Research Oversight to California State Senate

To the Joint Hearing of the California Senate Subcommittee on Stem Cell Research Oversight, Senate Health Committee, and Assembly Health Committee:

Thank you for inviting my testimony today. My name is Marcy Darnovsky. I'm the associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society, an Oakland-based public interest organization that works to encourage responsible uses and effective governance of human biotechnologies. Together with other pro-choice public interest groups, we support embryonic stem cell research and public funding for it. Both before and since last November's election, however, we've felt that we have had to raise a significant number of concerns about Proposition 71 and the stem cell research institute it established.

California now finds itself in a unique position with regards to embryonic stem cell research. Nowhere in the world is this research being as generously funded as it now is here, by the people of this state. All of us hope that these funds will be spent usefully and responsibly in order to develop treatments and therapies, and to make them affordable and accessible to the citizens of our...