Michigan Ballot Initiative Could Transform State into Leader on Stem Cell Research

Juvenile Diabetes. Cancer. Alzheimer's. Parkinson's Disease. Spinal
Cord Injury. ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Auto-Immune Diseases.
Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Your mother, your child, your brother, your friend, your grandparent, your aunt.  You. 

I was 14. They said I had Crohn's Disease and they were without a reason for the illness, without a cure, without a real treatment.

Almost
15 years later, I'm missing my colon and rectum, among other
miscellaneous parts and pieces. My body is a walking tribute to the
skill of surgeons after 36 surgeries and almost 80 hospitalizations. 

To
stay alive and functioning in society, I require over $300
in ostomy supplies a month, not to mention the various treatments and
medications that keep the other 'peripheral' conditions and illnesses
at bay. I have a deep love-hate relationship with the insurance
industry. 
VIDEO: Stem Cell Research

I'd like to have children some day,
but I realize that if I'm even able to have children, which is unknown
at this point because of my health, there's a great risk of passing my
disease on. Do I want to do that to my child? 

Not
a day doesn't pass when I don't realize how lucky I am to be alive, but
I also understand that there are millions like me, who suffer from
illnesses and injuries that could be one day cured. 

But first we need the proper research to be done, and so much promise lies in stem cell research. 

Unfortunately, Michigan is one of five states that
lies in wait for progress to happen. Since 1978, we've been stuck in a
Draconian period along with Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Louisiana; definitely some of the least progressive states in our
Union. 

Fortunately for us, that could
change this November. We all have an opportunity to be a part of making
a cure happen for Michigan.

The ballot proposal, Proposal 2, led by the Cure Michigan folks,
would turn the current law right around, and put Michigan at the
forefront of curing debilitating illnesses and conditions. 

Despite
the Extreme Right's moaning and belly-aching about the issue, it's a
very practical solution that is quite a bit more "pro-life" than the
current standards. For instance, instead of throwing away unused
embryos, parents who use fertility clinics have the option of donating
them to helping find a cure. Right now, all they can do is have them
thrown out. Seems like a waste, doesn't it? 

A study has
already found that more than half of all parents who benefit from
fertility clinics are willing to donate their embryos to finding a much
needed cure. 

What's ironic is that under the
current law, a researcher could be thrown in jail for up to 10 years
for their work in finding a cure by using stem cell lines that would
have been put in the trash. As a result, we've already heard the stories of the states that have benefited from our top researchers packing up and moving shop out of Michigan. 

A
change in Michigan could help cure our health and financial woes. It's
a change that a majority of Michigan is already getting behind, as an editorial from the Muskegon Chronicle highlights. 

While
you could say that my interest in the Cure Michigan campaign is
selfish, there's a good chance that you have someone in your life who
is either suffering now or has suffered in the past from an illness
that could be helped or cured through stem cell research. In the end,
we all benefit from finding a cure.

This post was first published at Progress Michigan.