Thanks for the Amy Comstock-Rick copy.  I couldn't ferret out the exemplars
in my million emails when I wrote my comment last night!

Amy's has just the right information and tone for a knowledgable layman! I
forwarded it to my contacts to cut and paste.

Kathleen

2009/5/14 rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>

> Wonderful John...
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "JOHN YOCHIM" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:55 AM
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: ESCR under attack -   CONTACT NIH TODAY!!!
>
>  Thank you Ray. I told them.
>>
>> --- On Thu, 5/14/09, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> From: rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: ESCR under attack -   CONTACT NIH TODAY!!!
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Thursday, May 14, 2009, 1:16 AM
>>
>> CONTACT THE N.I.H. TODAY! A personal request from Don C. Reed
>> Action asked: Click on the following to contact National Institutes of
>> Health:
>>
>> http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm.
>>
>> Dear Stem Cell Research Advocate:
>>
>> The next 14 days are crucial in the stem cell research struggle.
>>
>> Here's why.
>>
>> Remember when President Obama signed that document removing the Bush stem
>> cell restrictions? That same day he called upon the National Institutes of
>> Health to draft a new set of guidelines for scientists wanting federal
>> funding.
>>
>> Those guidelines have just been issued. (
>> http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009draft.htm)
>>
>> The next 14 days are the comment period for the new guidelines for stem
>> cell research, which American scientists will have to live with if they want
>> federal funding. This is the public's only chance to shape those guidelines:
>> which can be improved-or made worse.
>> Unfortunately, there are problems!
>>
>> Not only are the guidelines far more conservative than we had hoped, but
>> opponents of the research are systematically flooding the comment process.
>>
>> Led by the Catholic Church and other conservative religious bodies, a
>> national campaign has begun: to attack early stem cell research by mass
>> emails to the NIH.
>>
>> *"The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a new
>> "Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research" campaign today, equipping citizens
>> to contact Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to oppose
>> embryonic stem cell research ." -- WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
>> www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign
>>
>> Is their anti-research campaign having an effect?
>>
>> Dr. Wise Young of Rutgers University , ". of the 6000 plus comments that
>> NIH has received concerning the draft guidelines, 99% were from people who
>> opposed embryonic stem cell research."-Carecure Forum
>> http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showpost.php?p=1039001&postcount=12
>> Imagine what the enemies of research will do with a statistic like that!
>> Think of the State Senators and Representatives who have to fight for stem
>> cell funding-they will be hammered-no politician ever wants to stand alone.
>>
>> Supporters of stem cell research must be heard.
>>
>> To prevail, we need to do three things: inform ourselves, act
>> individually, and reach out to our networks.
>> First, read this message all the way through; it contains background
>> information from the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research
>> (CAMR), and other sources.
>>
>> Second, send your message to the government. Click on the comment box you
>> will find at the following url:
>> http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm
>>
>> Third, SHARE THIS LETTER-or write your own-- email all your contacts.
>>
>> Any statement of support has impact. One sentence can make a difference.
>>
>> Something like: "I support embryonic stem cell research, and am glad some
>> of the restrictions are being loosened." That matters.
>>
>> Anyone who clicks on the comment box, and writes in a sentence-that
>> message will be tallied as one citizen in support. Of course, you may say
>> more if you want. If you are a long-term research supporter, your letter
>> will be put in the expert witness category.
>>
>> (If you want to get more involved in shaping the guidelines, that would be
>> helpful. The guidelines are politically very timid, and must be
>> strengthened. Problems:
>>
>> a "grandfather clause" is needed to insure that every stem cell line
>> already approved under the previous stringent guidelines will be eligible;
>> that alternate sources of stem cell lines such as SCNT and parthenogenesis
>> will not be excluded from funding, and more. (see CAMR comments below.)
>>
>> But every patient advocate in America must at least click on the comment
>> box, and make a statement in support of early stem cell research.
>>
>> This affects everyone in America, and the world. MORE THAN ONE PERSON IN A
>> FAMILY MAY COMMENT. Every adult friend or family member should click and
>> make a comment-- as well as every scientist, medical student, every teacher,
>> every parent-everyone who has a reason to want stem cell therapies and
>> cures.
>>
>> Here it is, one more time: http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm.
>>
>> Or, send a letter (ideally on letterhead) to: NIH Stem Cell Guidelines,
>> MSC 7997, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda , Maryland , 20892-7997
>>
>> But whatever you are going to do, do it now. There is very little time
>> before the May 26th deadline.
>>
>> We have worked hard, many years. We are so close. We must not falter now.
>>
>> Click on the button, send your comments in-do it today, please.
>>
>> And thanks. You make the difference: you are one of the overworked few who
>> change the world.
>>
>> P.S. Here is a letter from Amy Comstock-Rick, President of the Coalition
>> for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR); I copied it from CAMR's
>> website, where much more information can be found: www.camradvocacy.org.
>> Help Ensure Strong Federal Support for Embryonic Stem Cell Research -
>> Submit Comments to the NIH on its Draft Guidelines
>> As you know, President Obama recently issued an Executive Order
>> instructing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop guidelines to
>> establish a framework for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
>> NIH has released its draft guidelines, and the public has the opportunity to
>> comment on the draft over the next few weeks. NIH will analyze the content,
>> as well as volume, of the comments as it finalizes the guidelines.
>> It will be critical for NIH to hear from the public during the comment
>> period. Please follow the instructions below to submit your comments to
>> ensure that the final guidelines are crafted in a way that ensures that this
>> science advances as quickly as possible. And, please share the link to this
>> page with your friends, family, and anyone you know who supports embryonic
>> stem cell research.
>> How to submit your comments:
>> Click http://nihoerextra..nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm to be connected to
>> the NIH comment form;
>> Provide your name, and select `self' for Affiliation; and
>> Copy and paste the text below into the comment box, provide the security
>> check ID on the form, and click `submit comments.'
>> Suggested comment text (copy and paste into Comment section of NIH comment
>> form and edit as appropriate for you):
>> Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise for millions of Americans
>> suffering from many diseases and disorders. I am not a scientist, but I have
>> been following progress in this field with great interest. Significant
>> strides have been made over the past decade, and the final guidelines issued
>> by NIH must build on this progress so that cures and new therapies can get
>> to patients as quickly as possible. The final guidelines should not create
>> new bureaucratic hurdles that will slow the pace of progress.
>> I am pleased that these draft guidelines -- in Section II B -- would
>> appear to permit federal funding of stem cell lines previously not eligible
>> for federal funding and for new lines created in the future from surplus
>> embryos at fertility clinics. However, as drafted, Section II B does not
>> ensure that any current stem cell line will meet the criteria outlined and
>> thus be eligible for federal funding. It will be important for the final
>> guidelines to allow federal funds for research using all stem cell lines
>> created by following ethical practices at the time they were derived. This
>> will ensure that the final guidelines build on progress that has already
>> been made.
>> I also believe that the final guidelines should permit federal funding for
>> stem cell lines derived from sources other than excess IVF embryos, such as
>> somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Sections II B and IV of the draft
>> guidelines do not permit such federal funding and I recommend that the final
>> guidelines provide federal funding using stem cell lines derived in other
>> ways. If not, it is essential that the NIH continue to monitor developments
>> in this exciting research area and to update these guidelines as the
>> research progresses.
>> Thank you!
>> Sincerely,
>> Amy Comstock Rick, president
>> Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research
>>
>> Rayilyn Brown
>> Director AZNPF
>> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
>> [log in to unmask]
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:
>> [log in to unmask]
>> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:
>> [log in to unmask]
>> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
>>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:
> [log in to unmask]
> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn