PIEN Listmembers,
The following request to tell the Senators about your life with
Parkinson's is from CuresNow. It was relayed through the Parkinson's
Action Network. According to an earlier PAN message CuresNow is an
organization primarily made up of entertainment industry folks who
support stem cell and SCNT research. The organization, like PAN, is a
member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR).
The co-founders of CuresNow, Janet and Jerry Zucker, and Lucy Fisher,
have children with diabetes.
Thanks,
Linda
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Laura Eckart" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 11:13:48 -0500
Subject: Action Alert!
Urgent! Action Alert
EMAIL YOUR STORY
[log in to unmask]
Senators Want To Hear Your Story And Why You Support Somatic Cell Nuclear
Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning)
There is no question, the debate on somatic cell nuclear transfer
technology
(SCNT, sometimes called therapeutic cloning) is coming to the Senate
floor
in the next few weeks, and Senators are asking to hear from individuals.
They want to hear your story, and why this research is important to you.
Opponents of SCNT, and the hope it offers, have drowned out our voice on
Capitol Hill. We need to be heard, and your email can help. Please take
a
moment to draft a personalized email, and send it to [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Urge your friends and family to write too.
As you know, the Senate has already held hearings on S. 1899, a bill by
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) that would ban all cloning including SCNT;
put
researchers in prison; and deny patients the benefit of any therapies
developed from therapeutic cloning outside the United States. The latest
word we have is that the Senate vote is due in early May.
This is the time to take action! The Brownback bill could be a disaster
for
the nearly 100 million Americans who suffer from cancer, Alzheimer's,
diabetes, ALS, Parkinson's, spinal cord injury and other devastating
diseases for which treatments must still be found.
This is your BEST chance
to make your support of SCNT known!!!!!
Email Your Personal Story Today To: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Message points for your email:
* Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is not the science fiction you
see in movies, but rather a reasonable and appropriate way to alleviate
the
horrors faced by patients suffering from deadly and painful diseases.
*
* Cloning is widely used, vital medical tool that has allowed
scientists and researchers to develop powerful new drugs; produce insulin
and useful bacteria in the lab; track the origins of biological weapons;
catch criminals and free innocent people; and produce new plants and
livestock to help feed an undernourished world population.
* The nation's leading scientists, including two prestigious
committees of the National Academy of Sciences, agree that cloning to
reproduce humans should be illegal, but that SCNT (or therapeutic
cloning)
should be permitted.
*
* SCNT is a research technique to develop cells that can be used to
treat or cure chronic and degenerative diseases and disorders. The
process
has nothing to do with sexual reproduction. Its sole purpose is research
to
meet unmet medical needs.
*
* By moving stem cell research forward, SCNT could bring new hope to
the nearly 100 million Americans who suffer from cancer, Alzheimer's,
diabetes, hepatitis, Parkinson's disease and other devastating conditions
for which treatments must still be found.
* SCNT allows 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 and dramatically reduce the possibility of causing the
patient's
immune system to attack and reject the therapy.
The Brownback bill would have devastating results.
It would:
* Ban SCNT, or therapeutic cloning, cutting-off hope to
millions of Americans with life-threatening diseases;
* Make it illegal for U.S. citizens to seek SCNT treatment
abroad;
* Send a U.S. scientist to jail for developing SCNT therapies
in a petri dish;
* Make it illegal for U.S. scientists to import SCNT therapies
that were developed in other countries.
Laura Eckart
Deputy Education and Advocacy Director
Parkinson's Action Network
p: 703-518-8877
f: 703-518-0673
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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