ARIZONA IS A state in the southwestern part of the continental United States. It was the 48th state to join the union, which it did in 1912. It is bordered to the south by the Mexican state of Sonora, to the east by New Mexico, and to the north by Utah. The Colorado River forms the western border, separating Arizona from California and Nevada. Much of the state is occupied by flat, hot deserts, but there are also large stands of evergreen trees and many lakes—man-made as well as natural—that lend variety to the topography and land cover of the state. Geographical features such as the Grand Canyon are internationally renowned. The state is the 6th largest in the country, with a total area of nearly 114,000 square miles, but its population of a little less than 6.5 million is the 16th largest in the country, which indicates a low population density, much of which is concentrated in the capital city, Phoenix, together with other large urban areas such as Mesa, Tucson, and Yuma. Bordering Mexico, the state is home to many migrants from that country, and there are various political issues related to migration—both legal and illegal—that are significant in Arizonan political discourse.
Arizona has tended to favor Republican politicians and policies in recent decades. The only Democratic candidate to have been endorsed by Arizona in more than four decades was Bill Clinton. However, a small number of public positions are filled by Democratic Party candidates. In this context, progressive policies such as stem cell research do not receive public or executive support, although debate is open and generally civil. In debates following President Bush’s response to the 2006 Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, for example, which he eventually vetoed, Arizona’s senators were split. Republican Senator John McCain, who was subsequently a presidential candidate, supported the Senate majority position and claimed it represented a framework for ethical medical research. Republican Jon Kyl supported the president on one measure, and Democrat Jim Pederson took the opposite view. The senators were able to articulate positions that were coherent, rather than driven by monolithic ideology.
The result of this has been that Arizonan state law has yet to rule on the issue of research in stem cell areas. A Stem Cell Research Committee was formed and met in January 2006. The result of their deliberations was that no recommendations for legislative action were made. State law currently requires health professionals to inform pregnant patients about options surrounding umbilical cord blood donations and related stem cell issues. Research involving embryos or fetuses obtained as the result of abortions is prohibited, as is the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer of human cells. Academic researchers at tertiary-level educational institutions in the state tend to favor stem cell research, as might be expected, and have lent their voices for more freedom to act. Human interest stories in local and global media that illustrate that stem cell-based research is starting to lead to positive health outcomes that were previously impossible is also having a gradual effect on public opinion.
Private-sector firms, in contrast, continue medical research within the state, including the use of nonforbidden forms of stem cell activities. Scottsdale-based firm Medistem Laboratories Inc., for example, has announced research that uses cord blood transplants to try to stimulate new blood vessel creation, and hence tackle Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI). CLI is characterized by the narrowing and hardening of the arteries, which can lead to significant problems in the feet and leg areas. As many as 8-12 million people in the United States suffer from CLI, which would of course represent a potentially lucrative market for effective treatments, irrespective of the medical breakthrough that would be needed.
