I’ve taken the advice of a colleague and have ramped up my letter to the editor writing. Here is one I submitted last week which didn’t get printed in the St. Louis Dispatch.

Dear Editor,
Being a Californian who fought hard to defeat our Golden state’s infamous Proposition 71, I encourage the taxpayors of the Show Me State to think long and hard about enticing their biotech community to pursue stem cell research of all flavors. Yes, California did pass prop. 71 by almost 60% last November. But, some 10 months later, prop. 71 is not even out of the gate. Robert Klein and Co. who paraded around making their big hairy audacious claims have not been able to sell one bond because of several legal challenges filed immediately against prop. 71. Why is prop. 71 having such troubles after the overwhelming election victory? First, Right to lifers who worked together with progressives, feminists and environmentalists to challenge this bad initiative continue to find common cause and build support. Second, science keeps providing us with new and improved ways to do stem cell research which doesn’t require embyros to be destroyed. And finally, the voters in California are awakening to the realities of $6 billion dollars in new bond debt as the experts advise us not to seek financial gains as it may hinder the research. Which leaves Robert Klein wondering when California will show him the money!

One of my main points still is the hype and outright lies told to sell embryonic stem cell research. Here are some headlines TODAY of things I have been saying for 12 months.

Today’s Guardian:
Stem cell hopes distorted by ‘arrogance and spin’

Today’s BBC online:
Winston warns of stem cell ‘hype’

Today’s Washington Post:
Embryonic Stem Cells Found to Acquire Mutations
Abnormalities Could Produce Tumors; Scientists Say Evidence May Point to Need for Fresh Colonies

Author Profile

Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
Jennifer Lahl, MA, BSN, RN, is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking.