Prop 71 opposition opinions vary

Deirdre Newman

Thousands of embryos sit abandoned at a fertility center in Newport

Beach because of a scandal at UC Irvine that erupted in the 1990s.

The controversy involved fertility doctors at UCI’s now-shuttered

Center for Reproductive Health who intentionally implanted unknowing

patients with embryos that belonged to other women. The Newport Beach

center then took over maintenance of the remaining embryos.

Many of the unused embryos have been in limbo ever since because

they were never used.

Center director Robert Anderson is hopeful that if Proposition 71

passes, which would approve the sale of $3 billion in bonds to pay

for embryonic stem cell research, the awareness generated will prompt

owners of the remaining embryos to donate them for stem cell

research.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Proposition 71 last week.

The proposition is opposed by groups like The U.S. Conference of

Catholic Bishops, which has given $50,000 to defeat the initiative.

Ric Olsen, senior associate pastor of Harbor Trinity in Costa

Mesa, said he opposes the initiative for several reasons, but mainly

because Christians believe that life starts at conception.

The options now for any couple with frozen embryos include using

them to have a child, donating them to another infertile couple,

discarding them or donating them for research.

But there haven’t been many options for research so far, Anderson

said. Several couples with frozen embryos who have already had all

the children they want opt to do nothing with the rest of the

embryos, he said.

“I think most of the detractors are taking the viewpoint that

embryos shouldn’t be created solely for the purpose of doing this

research, which I agree with,” Anderson said. “I have thousands here.

I bet every in-vitro clinic around the country has a similar number

of frozen embryos if they’ve been around as long as we have.

Therefore, it’s simply a matter of what to do with the embryos that

already exist that are not going to be used.”

Olsen suggests the embryos be donated to infertile couples, but

that doesn’t happen often at his center, Anderson said. Anderson

would like to see legislation created allowing clinics to make

decisions on abandoned embryos if the owners can’t be reached, which

would enable donation of the embryos to stem cell research, he said.

Orange County Treasurer John Moorlach is another opponent of the

proposition, but his resistance to the measure is purely fiscal. He

opposes it so strongly that he is one of the signers of the argument

against it in the state voter information guide.

Moorlach said now is not the time for the state to borrow $3

billion and have to pay back another $3 billion in interest.

“We’re adding debt when our state is in the worst shape it’s ever

been historically,” Moorlach said. “If the research does not produce

any royalties or enough royalties or residuals, then the payments

have to come out of the general fund. Most of the patents on stem

cell research have already been pulled. We’re not talking about

anything dramatic here.... Some of the holders of the patents are the

biggest funders of Prop 71 ,so it’s sort of a big money grab.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers government. She may be reached at (714)

966-4623 or by e-mail at [email protected].