LANSING – The first ad on November ballot proposals hit the airwaves Tuesday with opponents of Proposal 2008-2 arguing the plan to allow embryonic stem cell research in the state will mean more costs to taxpayers.

If the election were held Tuesday, a majority of voters would support a proposal expanding the use of embryonic stem cell research in Michigan, a public opinion poll released showed. Also, opponents to Proposal 2008-2 released their first television ad charging that taxpayers would bear the cost for any additional research.

Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation argued approving the proposal would lead to public funding for the research similar to the $3 billion California is providing and $600 million New York spends.

“Proposal 2 goes too far by being too costly to Michigan taxpayers,” said Dave Doyle, spokesperson for MiCAUSE. “What the proponents of Proposal 2 don’t say is that embryonic stem cell research is already legal in Michigan. This campaign is about prohibiting any restrictions or regulations on human embryo research, and has expanded to include pleas for taxpayer funding. The last thing Michigan taxpayers need right now is more government spending or another tax increase.”

“Supporters of Proposal 2 say that human embryo research will bring money to Michigan,” the ad said. “What they don’t say is the real money is coming from taxpayers.”

The group cited comments by Cure Michigan chair Joe Schwarz that there should be public funding for the research. Schwarz told Gongwer News Service there should be public funding for the research, but he said it would come from the National Institute of Health for work done at Michigan public universities.

“Michiganders aren’t going to pay one penny more in tax for NIH grants,” Schwarz said. “What this shows is they’re utterly desperate in trying to find ways to oppose this and no one in that shop understands how medical research is done.”

Schwarz said the appropriations in California were part of the ballot proposal, but he said Proposal 2008-2 does not include any funding language. In New York and New Jersey, he said the funds were appropriated by the Legislature.

Schwarz said his committee would be on the air with ads “very soon.”

Supporters also noted Tuesday that the proposal had been endorsed by the Muskegon Chronicle.

The poll was completed by Marketing Resource Group, which is also handling the media work for the opponents to the proposal, MiCAUSE.

A spokesperson for supporters of the proposal, CureMichigan, said, “It’s hard to fathom if they are telling the truth with this poll” since a spokesperson for MiCAUSE acknowledged that the proposal says nothing about using taxpayer funds.

But Dave Doyle, spokesperson for MiCAUSE, said supporters of the proposal have already said they would push for public funding if the proposal passes.

The poll, taken September 15-19, of 600 likely voters shows that 54 percent of those asked supported the proposal while 38 percent opposed it.

Though the Catholic Church opposes the proposal, it is so far supported by those churchgoers 58 percent to 35 percent. And Oakland County voters support it by a margin of 62 percent to 29 percent.

This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com

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