FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
October 5, 2004 Robert Gaw
rgaw@nasro-co-op.com, 781-893-4343

NASRO Endorses Proposition 71

(Waltham) - The National Association of Socially Responsible Organizations (NASRO), today announced its endorsement of Proposition 71 - the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. Proposition 71, which will appear on the November 2004 ballot, would provide funds needed for the development of lifesaving therapies and cures for diseases that could save the lives of millions of California children and adults and reduce health care costs.

"Our organization is in daily contact with many self employed Californians who are suffering from chronic diseases and are turned down for coverage by health insurance companies. NASRO is a very stong supporter of Proposition 71 because stem cell research has the potential to alleviate the suffering of the millions of Americans", noted NASRO President and CEO, Robert Gaw, "and Proposition 71 will provide the much needed funding to make the promise of new cures and treatments a reality."

The National Association of Socially Responsible Organizations is a business association made up of small businesses, artists and self employed people. NASRO joins a coalition that already includes Nobel Prize-winning scientists and medical experts, families involved in patient advocacy and efforts to cure diseases, and organizations like the California Medical Association, American Nurses Association of California, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDES Foundation and the Parkinson's Action Network.

It's estimated that 128 million Americans - including millions of Californians - suffer from diseases and injuries that could be treated or cured with stem cell therapies. These devastating medical problems affect a child or adult in nearly half of all families. They also result in hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs annually.

Proposition 71 was developed by a coalition of California families and medical experts determined to close the stem cell research funding gap. Currently, there is no state level funding for stem cell research and political roadblocks have severely limited federal funding for some of the most promising types of stem cell research. Proposition 71 steps forward to provide the needed funding for lifesaving stem cell research, requires strict fiscal and public accountability, protects and benefits the state budget, and includes strict ethical deadlines.

More information on Proposition 71 can be obtained at www.yeson71.com