according to the news release below.  I just called them to try to get them
to correct the claim re Parkinson's.  I didn't get Mr. Long, but the guy I
did talk to simply hung up on me when I tried to tell him about Dennis
Turner.  He claimed an MD said a subject, neither of which he would name,
had been in remission for 4 years which is true, but he refused to listen to
me when I told him I had just talked to Turner and he is worse than ever.

I am not contesting the position of the Catholic church on ESCRs, that is
their right, but I didn't think lying any more than pedophilia was something
the church approved of.  I think it would be a good thing if the Catholics
and other Christians on this list would take a more active role in getting
the truth out.  I was treated very rudely and did not go into my "advocate"
role, but was told he didn't want to argue with me when I tried to bring him
up to date on the research.  The blogs of opponents of ESCR are just full of
these lies.  If we don't do something we are setting research back not just
years, but centuries.

Diane, maybe you can work your magic and put me in touch with a newspaper or
email for Long.
Ray


Michigan Catholic Conference Urges Public Support for Adult Stem Cell
Research; 65 Different Diseases Currently Being Treated
3/21/2006 10:36:00 AM

To: City and State desks
Contact: Paul A. Long of Michigan Catholic Conference, 517-372-9310;
http://www.micatholicconference.org
LANSING, Mich., March 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Research using adult stem cells
is currently producing treatments for some 65 different medical conditions
and deserves the recognition and support of the public to further assist
those who are suffering, the Michigan Catholic Conference told the House
Health Policy Committee today in Lansing.
The conference offered its support of adult stem cell research while
testifying against legislation that seeks to amend the state's human cloning
ban in order to clone then kill living human embryos for their stem cell
lines.
"Public support for adult stem cell research is necessary to augment the
increasing number of treatments that are today helping thousands of our
friends and relatives who suffer from conditions such as muscular sclerosis,
Parkinson's disease, brain cancer and juvenile diabetes," said Michigan
Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy Paul A. Long. "Without
the dedicated support of the public, including elected officials and the
media, the ongoing successes of adult stem cell research will continue to be
overshadowed by those who have failed to distinguish politics from science
regarding stem cell research."
Adult stem cells are retrieved from such locations in the human body as
umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, blood, muscle, fat, nerves and even
dental pulp, and pose no ethical problems related to retrieval. The gains
made by adult stem cell research are helping to treat some 65 different
diseases and are even eliminating certain blood diseases, such as severe
combined immunodeficiency. Last year Congress set aside some $79 million to
create a national data bank of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, which
is a treasure-trove of stem cells.
Addressed at today's House Health Policy Committee hearing was the Somatic
Cell Nuclear Transfer process, a euphemism for human cloning, which clones a
living human embryo then kills that embryo by extracting the stem cell
lines. To date, such "clone and kill" public policy has failed to discover
one single treatment or cure at the expense of live embryos. Once understood
solely within the scientific community, the public is increasingly being
made aware that research using embryonic stem cells is tumorigenic,
consistently forming tumors in laboratory animals.
"The benefits of adult stem cell research are making headlines across the
globe as thousands of people are walking, seeing and moving again after
undergoing adult stem cell therapy," said Long. "The facts are that nearly
30 years of public and private financing for embryonic stem cell research
have failed to produce any positive gains, while advancements with adult
stem cells are occurring on a daily basis."
Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the
Catholic Church in the state.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
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© 2006 U.S. Newswire

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