ELECTIONS PANEL OKs BALLOT PROPOSALS

Voters to Decide on Letting People Donate Embryos

Michigan voters will decide whether to loosen the state's restrictions
on embryonic stem cell research and allow medical use of marijuana
during November's election.

A state election panel gave final approval to the proposals Thursday,
clearing their path to appear on the ballot. Supporters of both
measures collected more than enough valid voter signatures to qualify.

But obeying a Michigan Court of Appeals order, the Board of State
Canvassers did not act on a third proposal that would cut the pay of
elected officials, throw judges off the bench and downsize the state
Legislature.

The stem cell proposal would change state law to allow people to
donate embryos that otherwise would be discarded because they are left
over from fertility treatments.

Supporters of the proposal say it would boost the search for future
cures and treatments to diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's.

"What we are talking about here is providing cures for people,
providing therapies for people," said Joe Schwarz, a medical doctor
and former Republican congressman who is a leader of the CureMichigan
campaign.

"In this century, a majority of therapies and cures will be from
genetic therapy and cellular therapy and not from popping chemical
compounds, which is what we've done all of our lives. So this is a
movement forward."

Opponents raise ethical concerns because the research involves the use
and destruction of human embryos. The Michigan Catholic Conference and
Right to Life of Michigan oppose the proposal and have helped form an
opposition group called Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science
and Experimentation.

The group also says the proposal would tie the state's hands so it
couldn't pass its own laws guiding the research in the future.

"This proposal goes too far," group spokesman David Doyle said. "It
has too many loopholes."

The group announced Thursday that Michigan's two highest-ranking state
lawmakers, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and
Democratic House Speaker Andy Dillon, oppose the stem cell ballot proposal.