Hi,

(this is taken from a letter to SPRING members by Charles Holme, SPRING 
Chairman. I've re-worded it to make it suitable for people other than 
SPRING members. SPRING's web site ht http://spring.parkinsons.org.uk/)

You may know that letters from Parkinson's sufferers was crucial in 
persuading the UK's Parliament to approve Stem Cell research into serious 
diseases such as PD.

Members of the European Parliament will be voting on 14th November on the 
Fiori Report - voting for the report would signal disapproval for Stem Cell 
research such as that approved in the UK.

It is important that people in Europe email their MEPs to ensure that they 
are fully aware of the implications and views of those with Pd.  This is 
crucial as there is considerable opposition to both Embryonic Stem cell 
research and Cell Nucleus Replacement.

It is important that this e-mail comes from you as an individual and that 
it arrives before the vote on the 14th. It should be about how Parkinson?s 
has affected your life - What has changed? How has PD affected you and your 
family?

Here are some points to consider when writing:
- You should make it clear that no one supports reproductive cloning
_ Embryo research should be permitted but in a strictly regulated 
environment
- The potential for medicine in general and Pd in particular is tremendous
- Parkinson?s is progressive ? time is not on our side ? any ban which 
delays a
  cure or the delivery of improved treatments is NOT acceptable
- Ask them to vote against the Fiori Report

There are several MEPS for each region of the country and you may contact 
any one of them or ideally all of them in your region.

You can reach your MEPs by going to:
   http://www.europarl.org.uk/uk_meps/MembersMain.htm
   and clicking on your region.

Note: They will be in their constituencies until Monday and then they go to 
Strasbourg. (You ma be able to reach them after that by using this e-mail 
format  [log in to unmask])


Further points for consideration (some of which is UK specific, but may be 
useful):
- MEPs are voting on the Fiori Report on 14th November.  Its approval would
  signal European disapproval for areas of research now permitted in the UK
  under the new HFE (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001.
- People with Pd campaigned long and hard for this new legislation, which 
allows
  human embryonic stem cells to be used in the development of therapies for
  serious diseases such as Pd.
- The Regulations had a massive mandate from the people via their MPs (336 
votes
  for 174 against) and were approved overwhelmingly in the House of Lords. 
A
  great many people in the UK would not wish to see the Fiori Report 
approved.
- We believe that ES cell research should proceed within the strict 
framework
  defined by the new Regulations and implemented by the HFEA.
- Safeguards built into the legislation will ensure that human embryos are 
used
  in research only where there are no other alternatives.
- We fully support the call for a total ban on reproductive cloning, i.e. 
the
  cloning of embryos to produce babies.
- We do however support therapeutic cloning or cell nucleus replacement 
(CNR)
  where the aim is to find new ways of addressing rejection problems (CNR
  provides the means to a possible source of autologous or self-derived 
stem
  cells).
- Stem cells for research will be isolated from the pre-implantation embryo 
or
  blastocyst at 6 to 8 days. At this time the inner cell-mass which goes on 
to
  form the foetus comprises 100 or so totally unspecialised cells.  It has 
no
  form whatsoever, there are no heart cells, no neurons, it has no 
sentience and
  can feel no pain.  It could go on to form one or more embryos and many 
people
  hold the view that individuality has not yet been established.
- Most ES cells used in research would be surplus to IVF and these would in 
any
  case be destroyed.  We believe that their use in the development of 
therapies
  that could benefit so many is wholly justified.
- Despite rapid and exciting advances in adult stem cell research, they are 
not
  the cure all and in many cases little is known of their capacity for 
survival,
  growth or their ability to generate useful cell types.  This is 
particularly
  true in the context of degenerative neurological disorders.
- The consensus of scientific opinion remains that both adult and ES cell
  research should proceed as rapidly as possible.  If we are to fully 
exploit
  adult stem cells, reprogram adult cells to behave like ES cells or 
stimulate
  our own (neural) stem cells in vivo we need to know the full sequence of
  signals (molecular and genetic) that control the direction of cell
  development. For this we need embryonic stem cell research.
- Understanding these mechanisms may also help elucidate underlying disease
  pathologies and this could ultimately lead to prevention and cure rather 
than
  repair.
- There are around 120,000 people in the UK with Pd (1 in 7 of these is 
under
  the age of 50), but many other disorders also stand to benefit 
(Huntingdon?s,
  Alzheimer?s, Friedreich?s Ataxia, MS, motor neurone disease, spinal 
injuries
  to name just a few).



Simon


--------- My opinions are my own, NIP's opinions are theirs ----------
Simon J. Coles                                 Email: [log in to unmask]
New Information Paradigms                  Work Phone: +44 1344 753703
http://www.nipltd.com/                     Work Fax:   +44 1344 753742
=============== Life is too precious to take seriously ===============

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