DETROIT (AP) -- Michigan voters have approved a ballot proposal that relaxes restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research.
With 80 percent of the precincts reporting early Wednesday, 52 percent, or 1,981,756 people, voted "yes" on Proposal 2. Forty-eight percent, or 1,797,809, opposed it.
The proposal allows people to donate embryos left over from fertility treatments.
Proposal 2's strongest support came from college graduates and people who have done postgraduate work. High school graduates and dropouts were inclined to oppose it.
The findings were based on analysis of information from voters interviewed as they left polling places. The interviews were conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
Some embryonic stem-cell research was allowed in Michigan, but only on stem cell lines already established by researchers in other states. The state also allowed research on adult stem cells and those taken from umbilical cords, but Proposal 2 advocates said embryonic research has more potential for medical breakthroughs.
Supporters also said the ballot measure could put state researchers at the forefront of an emerging science that might discover cures for many illnesses, and said the state could lose researchers and research funds to states with less stringent policies. Opponents say the research is unethical because it involves the use and destruction of human embryos.
Critics warned the measure could mean backdoor tax increases, unlimited research and cloning. They ran ads that included images of humans with hooves instead of hands and fictional company logos such as "Cloneway" and "Human Double Inc." The Michigan Catholic Conference and Right to Life of Michigan largely funded the opponents' campaign.
Stem-cell research advocates said the critics concocted wild stories and scared voters. They said Proposal 2 actually imposes restrictions that don't exist in most other states and builds upon existing federal restrictions.
John Henry, 52, who lives in Eaton County's Windsor Township, opposed the measure.
"I have a lot of moral issues because I don't trust the people who would have that power" to do the research, he said.
Abbas Ammar, 23, of Dearborn Heights, supported the proposal because he believes "it's going to help humanity in a big way."
"People should have the right to choose what they want to do with their embryos," he said.
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