If you live in New York
OR if you have family or friends that live in NY-- Please read and take
action!

A bill supporting stem cell and regenerative medical research in New York
State is pending in the NYS Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver was passed in the Assembly last year, but needs a
Senate sponsor. Please read the following and contact your  State Senator
and also forward this letter to ALL of your friends and family in New
York State, and  ask them to pass the information on to everyone they
know.

A sample letter to Senators is included below.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Linda Herman
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* New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical Research

NYS Stem Cell Research Legislation

ACTION ALERT

Stem cell research and therapeutic "cloning" (SCNT) could hold the key to
developing new treatments for debilitating diseases. Millions of
Americans suffer from chronic, degenerative and acute diseases, such as
Juvenile Diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer and heart disease.

In 2003, the New York State Assembly passed the Reproductive Cloning
Prohibition and Research Protection Act (A.6249-A).  Sponsored by
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-64), the bill seeks to protect stem
cell research and therapeutic cloning, while prohibiting reproductive
cloning.
NYAMR (New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical Research) is currently
working to find a Senate Republican to sponsor this bill and to advance
it in the New York State Senate.  We need your assistance to help us to
gain support in the Senate for protecting stem cell research in New York
State.

Understanding the Legislative Issues:

· A.6249-A amends the Public Health Law by adding a new section entitled
“Human Cloning”.  This section establishes protections for therapeutic
cloning and stem cell research and creates a legislative commission to
examine and evaluate stem cell research and cloning.  Additionally, this
section prohibits reproductive cloning and provides penalties for
violators.  There is currently not a Senate sponsor for this legislation.


 --New Jersey has recently passed a similar bill into law, and their
governor is proposing $6.5 million in state funding to develop a  Stem
Cell Research Institute at Rutgers University, expected to attract
world-class researchers and biotech companies to the Garden State,
creating jobs and related economic benefits for New Jersey.

-- Legislation to prohibit the use of cloning technology for any purpose
- therapeutic or reproductive - has been introduced by State Senator
Raymond Meier (R-47). The bill, S.206, which is still pending in
committee, prohibits stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. The
existence of this legislation in the Senate makes it critical for
proponents of stem cell research to contact their State Senators and
express their support for A.6249-A, which protects stem cell research and
their opposition to S.206, which prohibits it.

The Importance of Stem Cell Research:

· Millions of Americans suffer from chronic, degenerative and acute
diseases, including Juvenile Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s
disease, cancer, and heart disease.  These conditions cause immense
physical and psychological suffering, and are often life threatening.

· Further the costs of treatment and lost productivity for these diseases
constitute hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the United States,
and create a substantial economic burden for those suffering from these
diseases.

· Human stem cell research and therapeutic cloning offer great promise
for developing new treatment and prevention methods for these
debilitating diseases.

        Get Involved:

        Here’s what you can do to help:

        CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR (Senate Switchboard (518) 455-2800). Use talking
points above and a personal story to make your case.

        WRITE YOUR SENATOR A LETTER.  Use the attached “sample letter to
Senators on stem cell research” as a template, add your own personal
experiences and include your address and phone number so their office can
follow up with you to discuss your position further.

        VISIT the local offices of your State Senator. Bring a letter with you
to the meeting and leave a copy with your Senator.

                   TO FIND OUT WHO REPRESENTS YOU GO TO:
                   http://www.elections.state.ny.us/sboemaps/maps.htm

               Click on “Find Your Voting District Map and Representative”,
                           Enter your address and Click on “State Senate
Districts”

        TO FIND THE ADDRESS OF YOUR STATE SENATOR
        GO TO THE ABOVE WEBSITE AND CLICK ON
        “Get A List Of All Your New York State Officials”
             Find your Senator on the list

        SENATORS NEED TO HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTIC CLONING.

ASK YOUR STATE SENATOR TO SUPPORT A.6249-A AND ALSO ASK THEM TO SPEAK TO
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER BRUNO ABOUT THIS LEGISLATION!!!!!!

*New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical research is a coalition of
NYS disease organizations, including the Parkinson's Disease Foundation,
patient advocates,  AMDEC (an organization of leading NYS research
institutions),  scientists, biotech industry representatives, Haddasah,
and many others.

SAMPLE LETTER TO SENATORS ON STEM CELL RESEARCH


Dear Senator [INSERT NAME]:

I am writing to request your support for legislation to enact the
reproductive cloning prohibition and research protection act (A.6249-A).
This legislation establishes protections for therapeutic cloning and stem
cell research, while prohibiting reproductive cloning. A.6249-A also
creates a legislative commission to examine, evaluate and advise the
Legislature on issues related to human cloning, genetic engineering and
stem cell research.  This legislation has passed the Assembly but does
not have a Senate sponsor.  A.6249-A has been circulated to many of your
colleagues and there is a substantial amount of interest.
The reasons behind the introduction and passage of this legislation in
the State Senate are simple for patients with crippling diseases such as
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Juvenile Diabetes, and their relatives and
friends.
[ADD PERSONAL EXPERIENCE]

        New York State law is currently silent on the legality of this issue,
however proposals have been introduced in both the Senate and Assembly,
which threaten this invaluable research and technology. The most drastic
measure S.206(Meier) would completely prohibit the use of cloning
technology for any purpose, therapeutic or reproductive.  If passed, this
legislation would be devastating to the many New Yorkers who suffer from
the physical, psychological and economic burdens of life-threatening and
debilitating diseases.

        As one of your constituents, I respectfully request your assistance in
ensuring that the hope and promise created by stem cell research and
therapeutic cloning are not suffocated by legislation prohibiting it. The
future lives of so many children and adults depend on you actions. Please
support A.6249-A to protect stem cell research and please let Senate
Majority Leader Bruno know that you would like it to be considered by the
Senate.


Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER]

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