Bill Gates contributes to California stem cell campaign

[Kadie]

Bill Gates contributes to California stem cell campaign

PAUL ELIAS, AP Biotechnology Writer
Wednesday, August 25, 2004


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(08-25) 17:13 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --

Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates contributed $400,000 to the campaign backing a California ballot measure that would make billions of dollars available for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning projects in the state, campaign records made public late Tuesday showed.

Gates is the latest billionaire to contribute to a campaign that has amassed more than $12 million in support of Proposition 71, which would have the state borrow $3 billion to fund the controversial research over 10 years. Cloning projects solely for research would be funded, but cloning programs to create babies would be barred.

Only two California measures on the Nov. 2 ballot, each related to gambling, have attracted more campaign contributions.

Billionaire eBay founder Omar Omidyar and his wife have contributed $1 million in support of Proposition 71, as have billionaire savings and loan executive Marion and Herbert Sandler. Venture capitalists, Hollywood celebrities and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation have also made big contributions to the campaign.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/08/25/state1958EDT0171.DTL

[Cha]

1. This is News! Why would Bill Gates want the

dumya team in?