The Truth About Michigan’s Proposal 2
If you live in Michigan you’ve probably seen the ads on TV urging you to vote no on proposal 2 because it’s both morally wrong and will raise taxes. I’ll get to those in a second.
If you don’t live in Michigan or if you only believe what’s on TV, Proposal 2 is an amendment to legalize embryonic stem cell research. Now, stem cell research is already legal in Michigan - but only adult stem cells.
So where do the embryonic stem cells come from? According to the proposal, only embryos created for IVF that would be discarded anyway can be used. When a couple chooses in vitro fertilization, multiple embryos are created in case the first one doesn’t take. It’s cheaper and faster that way, and that’s how it’s done. If the first one DOES take, the extras are simply thrown in the trash.
Proposal 2 would allow those embryos which would otherwise be thrown away to be used for research. That’s it. There’s no other type of embryo that could be used, there’s no selling of stem cells, and there’s no people getting pregnant to sell their aborted fetus for research. Proposal 2 specifically outlaws all of that.
Ok, but it’s going to raise my taxes right? WRONG! There’s nothing in proposal 2 about increasing taxes. The TV commercials are telling you about a system in place in other states to mislead you. Proposal 2 will not raise your Michigan taxes. It’s actually more likely that this will lower the costs of the Michigan businesses currently doing stem cell research.
If you don’t believe me, you can read the free press article that talks about it.
It’s also important not to get caught up in the pro life debate surrounding proposal 2 either. The embryos in question here already exist, and are already going to be thrown in a trash can. Proposal 2 isn’t supporting abortion, and it’s not creating more embryos. It’s simply asking to take them out of the trash can and use them for research - without raising your taxes.
It’s a PDF, but you can read the actual proposal here. I strongly encourage everybody to do so.
17 comments October 8th, 2008
