Dear list members,
If you believe that ALL routes to research on Parkinson's, Alzheimer's,
diabetes and many other serious diseases should remain open, please read
this message from PAN. If not for these type of advocacy efforts by
patients, scientists and organizations, it is believed that all federal
funding for stem cell research would have been banned by Pres. Bush last
August. Your individual message to your Congressional representatives
will make a difference.
see: Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research web site
www.stemcellfunding.org
For more information, contact Parkinson's Action Network,
1-800-850-4726 or e-mail at [log in to unmask]
Linda
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Laura Eckart" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 13:22:04 -0600
Subject: Action Alert! We need your help!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
Below, please find an Action Alert that PAN is doing in conjunction with
the
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research. Please forward this
message on to family and friends and ask them to TAKE ACTION!
Thanks,
Laura Eckart
###
Stem Cell Action Alert
URGENT
Contact Your Senators Now about Therapeutic Cloning!
The Senate Debate Has Already Started, and We're Behind
The Senate has already held hearings on legislation by Senator Sam
Brownback
(R-KS) that would ban all cloning including therapeutic cloning; put
researchers in prison; and deny patients the benefit of any therapies
developed from therapeutic cloning outside the United States.
The legislation could be a disaster for the nearly 100 million Americans
who
suffer from cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, hepatitis, Parkinson's and
other
devastating diseases for which treatments must still be found.
The nation's leading scientists, including two prestigious committees of
the
National Academy of Sciences, have declared that therapeutic cloning (or
somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, SCNT) could allow a patient's
own
genetic material to be used to develop advanced stem cell therapies.
These
therapies-including transplants and transfusions-- would be tailored to
match each patient's specific medical condition without causing the
patient's immune system to reject the therapy.
Unfortunately, most Senate offices report that they have heard only
from supporters of the Brownback bills, not from people who want to
realize
the promise of stem cell research. Please contact your Senators now to
let
them know that SCNT is vital to stem cell research and must NOT be
criminalized.
Because of last year's Anthrax attacks, the best way to contact your
Senators is by a fax to the Washington or a local district office. To
find
the fax numbers, go to our Web site, www.stemcellfunding.org, click on
Find
Your Rep <listrep.asp> , and fill in your state's name. The Senators'
contact information is at the bottom of the page.
Please edit the following letter to reflect your personal reasons
for supporting stem cell research and SCNT.
I am writing to voice my support for protecting somatic cell nuclear
transfer (SCNT), or therapeutic cloning, which may prove to be a vital
tool
in allowing scientists to fully develop the promise of stem cell
research.
As President Bush stated in his address to the nation on August 9, 2001,
stem cells derived from embryos have unique potential to improve the
lives
of those who suffer from devastating diseases and conditions, including
juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer and
spinal cord injury. Additionally, SCNT research could allow a patient's
own
genetic material to be used to develop stem cell therapies specifically
tailored to that individual's medical condition, thus not triggering an
immune rejection response. In other words, using SCNT could repair
patients
with their own cells.
The nation's leading scientists, including committees of the National
Academy of Sciences, have endorsed the scientific potential of SCNT, and
have come out strongly against forbidding this research. Therefore, I
strongly oppose any legislative or regulatory action that would ban
research
related to SCNT, including criminalizing the research or the researchers,
and prohibiting the importation of therapies derived from SCNT in other
countries.
The men, women, and children who are suffering from life-threatening
diseases are in a race against time. It is our responsibility to make
sure
that they benefit as quickly as possible from the very best that science
and
technology has to offer.
I look forward to your support.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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