Detroit News gets facts on Proposal 2 incredibly wrong

On July 7, the Detroit News published a story by reporter Jim Lynch which focused on an early stage study using fetal stem cells (from an aborted child) to treat patients with ALS. The story contained this completely inaccurate statement about Proposal 2 and Michigan's now-overturned stem cell law.

A few years ago, this kind of work would not have been possible in Michigan. But two years ago, state voters approved a ballot measure allowing stem cell research.

Both of these sentences are factually incorrect. First, there was no law in Michigan a few years ago which prevented research using fetal stem cells. None. Research using fetal stem cells has never been banned in Michigan. Second, the ballot measure didn't allow stem cell research. All types of stem cell research were already occurring in Michigan before Proposal 2. Proposal 2 just allowed researchers to kill human embryos for research in Michigan instead of importing embryonic stem cells from other states.

Unfortunately, proponents of Proposal 2 have been increasingly dishonest about the results of their proposal. During the campaign to legalize the killing of human embryos for research, proponents of Proposal 2 promised cures to a wide variety of diseases. No cures have yet to be found and no suffering patients are any closer to being treated because of Proposal 2's passage.