Voters set to approve stem cell research bonds
By EditorNew Jersey voters are likely to pass a $450 million bond issue to finance stem cell research – by a 57%-36% margin -- according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today. Catholic voters support the referendum 48%-41%, while voters identified as evangelical or born-again Christians support it by a 48%-42% margin. Of the likely voters who oppose the referendum, 26% say they disagree with stem cell research on moral grounds, while 58% say the state can’t afford the added debt.
“The margin favoring approval of the stem cell research bond issue is typical for recent ballot questions about state uses of public funds, despite public controversy surrounding this type of research,” said Tim Vercellotti, director of polling at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “That some of the key constituencies expected to oppose the ballot question, such as evangelical Christians and Republican voters, are narrowly in favor or divided speaks to the strength of public support for the bond issue.”
The poll also gives Gov. Jon Corzine a 48%-42% approval rating.
Voters don’t seem to care if Corzine campaigns for Democratic candidates or not – 60% say that his support of a candidate makes no difference to them – about the same as Gov. James E. McGreevey in an October 2003 Rutgers-Eagleton poll.
In a statewide ballot test of little significance because about three-quarters of the districts do not have competitive races, Democrats lead Republicans by a ten to twelve percentage points. The Legislature has a statewide upside-down approval rating of 34%-48%, although voters approve of their own legislators by a 55%-30% margin.
By a 59%-34% margin, voters also back a referendum to spend $200 million in bonds to buy land for recreation and conservation purposes, to preserve farmland, and to pay for historic preservation projects.
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Syndicate
Although I support embryonic
Although I support embryonic stem cell research I find it hard to support New Jersey's bond issue. The reason is they aren't focused on doing the research the Bush Administration has all but held back. Since the funding of grants started 2 years ago they funded about 30 adult stem cell research grants which could have been accessed from NIH funds instead of NJ State funds. Only about 3 grants went to human embryonic stem cell research thus far. Although Marie Tasy represents the opposition to the research I would like to see I have to agree with her comment"This was a political, partisan pep rally to drum up support to line the pockets of their biotech friends," http://www.nj.com:80/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/119320377... Although New Jersey claims they are letting the best science decide what gets funded and not politics, they are directing their funding toward helping industry and not making a strong impact in funding embryonic stem cell research. It is pure deception. Over a month ago Senator Ellen Karcher wrote Corzine a letter asking why the funding on embryonic stem cell research has been neglected. I spoke to her staffer on Monday of this week and Corzine has yet to answer the senator's letter.
NJ Stem Cell Funding not much different from Bush
It has been my mission to make sure the promise of hESCR is being pursued both on the federal level as well as the state level.
Since March I have been trying to alert the various hESCR organizations about how NJ puts politics before progress. They have been touting the fact that they were the first or second state to appropriate funding for hESCR, yet an examination of the actual dollars awarded to hESCR, the research that the federal government has restricted, is dismal at $600,000 out of $15 million awarded so far. Or to put it differently, NJ has funded Adult Stem Cell Research at a ratio of more than 9 to 1 over human embryonic stem cell research.
As comforting as it was to know that CA did in fact decide to put $3 billion over 10 years towards hESCR, it is discomforting to know that other blue states will use the positive propaganda of hESCR, to get taxpayer support for a state program that unbeknown to them has had a track record of funding primarily non-embryonic stem cell research at 95%.
It is immoral for NJ to tout the promise of hESCR and then turn around and use funds that the public expects where intended for hESCR, to cultivate adult stem cell research in NJ instead.
The hypocrisy of using people like my child who is paralyzed, to get money spent for purposes other than promised, is outrageous.
Christine Whitman and Ellen Karcher are right to ask for Stem Cell Accountability. Voters beware.
Stem Cell Research
Perhaps that's because using "adult" stem cells (placenta, umbilical cord, and human tissue stem cells) have proven to be much more successful than using those from embryos. There has been lots written about the difficulties and set-backs using embryonic cells vs. the advances being made using adult cells. Even in the private sector, this has been the case. The hype and the promise of cures via embryonic stem cells has been nothing short of overkill and mis-information being spewed to score politcal points. It makes sense that a lot of the research and most of the funding has been going to adult stem cell projects, because that is where the real success and promise lies.
BTW, the Bush adminstration has not held back. The NIH and other gov't agencies, including many public research universities with public funding, has funded stem cell research, even some projects that have used existing "lines" of embryonic stem cells available. It's just that new federal funding on research using human embryos hasn't been allowed. If it holds promise, though, the private sector can pick up the tab. The fact that it hasn't speaks volumes about it's promise vs. using adult stem cells.
Why did you downplay the favorable numbers for the Democrats?
You wrote: "In a statewide ballot test of little significance because about three-quarters of the districts do not have competitive races, Democrats lead Republicans by a ten to twelve percentage points."
I don't see this as of little significance. It says to me that the corruption charges from the Rs are not working. Even Eagleton's press release led off with the fact that most New Jerseyans prefer Democrats.
I don't have trust in those pushing the bond issue
In an article today called "Grass-Roots Mobilize On Stem Cell Question" http://campaignsandelections.com/NJ/articles/?ID=848
it doesn't at all seem Grass-Roots at all but a political move. Of course they like to call it grass-roots so people will think other regular people are supporting the ambiguous bond issue. When it comes to staging tactics the stem cell institute should win first prize. I bet most people in the state still think stem cell research means human embryonic stem cell research. The State of NJ wants the voters to think that cause it's the only way the bill will pass, but if you go to the Stem Institutes's web page it is clear they won't be doing much at all with the research the people think they would be voting for. This is from the stem cell institutes FAQ:
Will institute scientists study embryonic stem cells?
Institute scientists will study both adult and embryonic stem cells. Much of this research will be conducted on non-human stem cells derived from mice.
People in New Jersey think they would be voting to fund the research not funded by the federal government. Funding mouse embryonic stem cells is already funded with no restrictions by the federal govt. This bond issue is just pork and puts money in the hands of the bio-tech industry. I have to agree with the above comment by faye: The hypocrisy of using people like my child who is paralyzed, to get money spent for purposes other than promised, is outrageous.
While they misrepresent their intentions
While they misrepresent their intentions, should we give them 450 million? They keep talking about the cells that can grow into any kind of tissue in the body as this Rutger's article says "Bertino, the institute's interim director, said the value of stem cells and their ability to develop into any type of cell in the body. In addition, he specifically recognized all of the stem cell researchers present in the audience." http://media.www.dailytargum.com/media/storage/paper168/news/2007/10/24/... Thats embryonic stem cells they tout, but they aren't looking to focus on that research.
Some insight about NJ Stem Cell
STEM CELLS
Garden State Deceptions
Behind the Scenes in the NJ Stem Cell Program
New Jersey has not come through on its promise to fund embryonic stem cell research. It instead channels funding to adult stem cell research. Above, a student looks at nerve cells at the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey in Piscataway, N.J.
By Faye Armitage | Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 | Share This
After President Bush in 2001 placed severe restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, states such as California, New Jersey, and Connecticut scrambled to accelerate the science with state funding. New Jersey led the pack, touting the need for state funding for embryonic stem cell research back in 2002, earlier than even California.
So how well has New Jersey come through on its promise to fund embryonic stem cell research? Sadly, the state has done an exceedingly poor job, instead apparently angling to become the Adult Stem Cell hub of America. Two rounds of funding, in 2006 and 2007, produced 33 grants totaling $10 million that funded 28 adult stem cell research projects—and just 2 human embryonic stem cell projects.
In New Jersey adult stem cell research has received the lion’s share of state stem cell funds, at a ratio of more than 9 to 1 versus human embryonic stem cell research.
The first tell-tale sign that New Jersey’s current focus is primarily directed toward umbilical cord stem cell and other adult stem cell research came with the issuance in December 2005 of two grants (at $350,000 apiece) to the Ellie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research to create the nation’s first public cord and placental blood bank for stem cell research. This was followed in 2006 with the allocation of $270 million in state support to build and equip five stem cell centers, four of which are solely dedicated to adult stem cell research. One of the four stem cell centers is set to perform umbilical cord stem cell clinical trials. New Jersey also awarded two grants of $250,000 each to two researchers developing standard operating procedures for umbilical cord stem cell clinical trials.
Human embryonic stem cell research rhetoric, however, plays well in a blue state, which may explain why New Jersey has done some embryonic stem cell grandstanding by allocating an additional $5 million for core facilities, which allegedly will be used for future human embryonic stem cell research. Or it could be that New Jersey is merely preparing itself for the federal floodgates to open allowing for human embryonic stem cell research funding. That is expected to happen in 2009, should national poll numbers strongly in support of embryonic stem cell research translate into victories for supporters of this research at voting booths in next year’s elections.
Though there is some potential that adult stem cell research will lead to scientific breakthroughs akin to those expected from embryonic stem cell research, the general consensus among researchers is that embryonic stem cells are the most versatile and therefore hold the greatest promise to derive treatments that can alleviate the suffering from spinal cord injury and a host of other debilitating and deadly medical conditions. Next month, New Jersey is asking voters to support an additional $450 million in new bonds for state stem cell research. Before patient groups decide to support this bond issue, they ought to insist on knowing how much will be earmarked for each type of stem cell research.
Apparently “going where the best science leads us” means different things in different states. In California and Connecticut, for example, it meant 100 percent of the state stem cell funds went to human embryonic stem cell research. In New Jersey, however, adult stem cell research has received the lion’s share of state stem cell funds, at a ratio of more than 9 to 1 versus human embryonic stem cell research.
New Jersey already has disappointed patient groups that were anxiously looking to state funding for human embryonic stem cell research to develop the therapies that could alleviate their suffering. How can these patient groups be sure that New Jersey, in the future, will live up to its initial promise, given its abysmal performance on funding human embryonic stem cell research thus far?
Will patient groups step up to the plate and not just fight for the symbolism of embryonic stem cell research-friendly policies, but more importantly, work to ensure the funds that were promised for embryonic stem cell research will be spent as intended? These are some of the serious questions raised, as we evaluate the effectiveness of state funding to bridge the gap left by the federal neglect of embryonic stem cell research.
At a minimum, state voters ought to know what they are voting for. And it certainly doesn’t seem to be embryonic stem cell research in New Jersey.
It’s good to see that prominent people, such as former New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman (R), are catching on to the deceptive practices used to promote the New Jersey Stem Cell Program. And John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, is pushing for more transparency as various states proceed to implement their stem cell research policies.
Only with proper oversight can we ensure that the promise of human embryonic stem cell research will indeed materialize in the long-awaited curative treatments for many of the debilitating and deadly conditions that cause suffering for more than 100 million Americans.
A former Economics Professor in Florida, Faye Armitage worked in the healthcare industry in California for about ten years. Growing up on four different continents due to her father’s employment for a major multi-national corporation, Armitage received her BA and Masters degree from the University of Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. Her son’s paralysis from a soccer injury ignited her passion for the issues of Medical Mal-practice, Stem Cell Research, Universal Healthcare and the ADA. Her activism in these areas has earned her coverage in major national newspapers, and she is the founder of Cure Paralysis Now. Armitage is also a full-time caregiver to her now eighteen year old son.
http://www.scienceprogress.org:80/2007/10/garden-state-deceptions/