Forwarded from Parkinson's Action Network and Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research:

Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 09:24:06 -0500
Subject: Action Alert- Memorial Day Recess

Urgent!  Action Alert

SENATE RECESS THIS WEEK:
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CALL/FAX YOUR SENATORS

Please Take a Few Minutes to Visit the
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research Website
(www.camradvocacy.org)
and Take Action In Support of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Research

Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Orrin Hatch
(R-UT), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) have joined together to sponsor S.
2439, the “Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2002.”  The act would ban
reproductive cloning to create children, but permit privately funded
research involving somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), sometimes called
therapeutic cloning.  This legislation is widely supported among
scientific, medical, and patient groups.  The Senate is expected to vote
on this bill early to mid-June along side S. 1899, a bill by Senator Sam
Brownback (R-KS) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) that would ban all
cloning including SCNT; put researchers in prison; and deny patients the
benefit of any therapies developed from therapeutic cloning outside the
United States.

From May 25th to June 2nd, your Senators will be on recess, spending much
of that time in their district offices.  Please take the time to seize
this wonderful opportunity to make your voice heard.  More than ever, we
need you to contact your Senators during the recess to let them know that
SCNT is vital to stem cell research and must NOT be criminalized.  Tell
your Senators to vote “Yes” on S. 2439 and vote “No” on S. 1899.  Talking
points and background information are available on the CAMR Website
(www.camradvocacy.org).

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Take Action!  There are two steps:

Call or fax a letter to your Senators in support of SCNT.  Set up an
appointment to meet with your Senator while they’re home in their
district offices.
Click <http://www.camradvocacy.org/> to be taken to the website of the
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.  This site will
provide background information on the current debate.

Write a letter to the editor of your local or regional newspaper (see
instructions below).
Make your support of SCNT known!!!!!

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are letters written to the Editor of the newspaper
on a specific issue that the paper has recently addressed.  A letter can
also be written about a topic in the news, even if the paper has yet to
address it.  A standard “Letter to the Editor” is brief and consists of
only a few paragraphs.  We have developed a simple fill-in-the-blank
template to help you with this process.  If your newspaper has recently
run an article, op-ed, or commentary on therapeutic cloning that is
against our position, use Sample 1.  If your newspaper has recently run
something pro-therapeutic cloning, use Sample 2.  If your newspaper has
not recently (past few weeks) run anything at all on cloning, use Sample
3.   If you’re not sure, just use Sample 3 or check the website of your
local paper, they usually archive past articles, op-eds, and
commentaries.

NOTE:  You should submit these to your local newspapers.  You can submit
“Letters” either via fax, mail, or email.  Please call your local
newspaper to see what the word limit is for “Letters to the Editor”.
Feel free to add your personal points, but remember that many papers have
a limit of about 200 words so keeping it short will ensure a better
chance of getting it published.

TO SEND VIA EMAIL:  Utilize CAMR's fabulous new software on the website
that will send your letter immediately to the newspapers in your area.
Simply select “Contact the Media” on the homepage.  Enter your zip code,
select your local newspaper that you would like to receive your letter,
and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Compose Message.”
Be sure to edit our sample letter and input the required personal
information and then send your message.  The sample letter to the editor
email is the same as Sample 3 below.

If your letter runs in the newspaper, please send a copy to us either via
email [log in to unmask] or fax: 202-887-5633.  We’d like to deliver
as many as possible to Senators in case they missed it in their hometown
papers.

SAMPLE 1
(Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime
telephone number and email address if submitted electronically)

(Date)
Dear Editor:

Your (article, op-ed, commentary) (put exact name of article in quotes
here) has several misconceptions about therapeutic cloning that need to
be addressed.  As (a parent of a child with X, or someone living with X
disease), it’s extremely important to me that the American public and
your readers know the truth about therapeutic cloning.

Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive
cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies.  No sperm is ever
used.  The cells are not transplanted into a womb. And, therapeutic
cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA.

People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life.  (I,
my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the
disease.  For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.).
Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way.  In the coming weeks, the
Senate will vote on whether or not to make this research illegal and
hence throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives
of millions literally hang in the balance.   A vote against therapeutic
cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote
against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life.

Sincerely yours,
Full Name of Writer)
(Title, if any)

SAMPLE 2
(Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime
telephone number and email address if submitted electronically)
(Date)
Dear Editor:
Thank-you for the (article, op-ed, commentary) (put exact name of article
in quotes here).  As (a parent of a child with X, or someone living with
X disease), I want the American public and your readers know the truth
about therapeutic cloning, which is so misunderstood.

Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive
cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies.  No sperm is ever
used.  The cells are not transplanted into a womb.  And, therapeutic
cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA.

People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life.  (I,
my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the
disease.  For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.).
Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way.  In the coming weeks, the
Senate will vote on whether or not to make this research illegal and
hence throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives
of millions literally hang in the balance.   A vote against therapeutic
cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote
against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life.
Sincerely yours,
(Full Name of Writer)
(Title, if any)


SAMPLE 3
(Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime
telephone number and email address if submitted electronically)
(Date)
Dear Editor:
In the coming weeks, the Senate will vote on a very controversial issue
of critical importance to me and my family.  As (a parent of a child with
X, or someone living with X disease), I want the American public and your
readers know the truth about therapeutic cloning, which could help save
millions living with incurable diseases and conditions.

Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive
cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies.  No sperm is ever
used.  The cells are not transplanted into a womb.  And, therapeutic
cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA.

People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life.  (I,
my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the
disease.  For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.).
Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way.  When the Senate votes,
they will decide whether or not to make this research illegal and hence
throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives of
millions literally hang in the balance.   A vote against therapeutic
cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote
against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life.

Sincerely yours,
(Full Name of Writer)

(Title, if any)
**Please remember if you choose to email your letter to the editor via
the CAMR website, you will send Sample letter 3.

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