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Hello all, I sent the letter below to the editor of the NY Times. The likelihood of it being printed is practically nil, but at least I tried! Phil Tompkins ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the Editor: In the science article "In Early Experiments, Cells Repair Damaged Brains" of November 7, as well as in the Op-Ed article "A Crucial Election for Medical Research" of November 1, by Michael J. Fox, the possibility was raised that George W. Bush, if elected, would overturn National Institutes of Health guidelines and ban federal funding for groundbreaking research of stem cells taken from unused, very early stage embryos left over from IVF procedures. As reported in the article of November 7, this research has the great potential to save lives of many victims of fatal diseases. Bush's position on abortion allows exceptions in the cases of rape, incest and endangerment of the life of the mother. This implies a belief that the value of the embryo is less than the value of the life of an adult, and less even than the value of reducing anticipated post-traumatic emotional effects on the rape or incest victim. Given the implications of these exceptions the prospects of the new research, I urge Bush to reconsider prohibiting the funding of embryonic stem cell research.