Lessons from California on Taxpayer Funding of Human Embryo Research

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NAPA, Calif., Sept. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Life Legal Defense Foundation, who in 2005 initiated the lawsuit People's Advocate v. ICOC, challenging the constitutionality of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund human embryonic stem cell research (HESCR), today warned not to fall for the same rhetoric being heard from the proponents of federal funding for embryo-destructive research. LLDF makes this warning after yesterday's request by the Obama administration before the judge -- who halted the illegal funding -- to allow the funding to continue while the decision is appealed. The recent decision halting funding is available at ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2009cv1575-44. 
CIRM was established by voter initiative in California due in large part to proponents' promises of cures for all Californians resulting from HESCR. To date, CIRM, or for that matter any HESCR research, has produced no cures or therapies while over 70 therapies for various diseases have been the result of non-controversial and life-affirming cord blood and adult stem cell research --stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm. 

In spite of the absolute failure of HESCR and a Rasmussen Poll released on Friday, August 27, 2010, that revealed "only 33% of U.S. voters believe that taxpayer money should be spent on embryonic stem cell research" and 57% of those polled OPPOSE taxpayer funding for controversial stem cell research that requires destruction of human embryos, it looks like Congress will consider legislation to approve taxpayer funding for embryo-destructive research when the House reconvenes in September. 

H.R. 4808, the legislation most recently introduced by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), has broader consequences than legislation passed by the House in prior Congresses. Pro-Life leaders oppose H.R. 4808 because it directs federal funds to embryo-destructive research and unlike prior bills passed by Congress, provides a basis for taxpayer funding for research on stem cells taken from cloned embryos and embryos created solely for the purpose of destruction. 

Perhaps Americans who oppose federal funding of embryo-destructive research have watched the waste of taxpayer funds in California appropriated to CIRM. CIRM funding has been used largely for kingdom building among HESCR proponents. Funds have also been used to advance HESCR rhetoric by characterizing it as science education in government schools and colleges. An analysis of how CIRM has spent millions of dollars of the California taxpayers' hard-earned cash under the guise of "cures for all" that proponents promised would result from embryo destructive research is available at lldf.org/articles/stemcell. 

Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to the sanctity of human life. For more information, call Dana Cody at 707.337.6889.

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