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Forwarded from Parkinson's Action Network and Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research: Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 09:24:06 -0500 Subject: Action Alert- Memorial Day Recess Urgent! Action Alert SENATE RECESS THIS WEEK: WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR CALL/FAX YOUR SENATORS Please Take a Few Minutes to Visit the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research Website (www.camradvocacy.org) and Take Action In Support of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Research Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) have joined together to sponsor S. 2439, the “Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2002.” The act would ban reproductive cloning to create children, but permit privately funded research involving somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), sometimes called therapeutic cloning. This legislation is widely supported among scientific, medical, and patient groups. The Senate is expected to vote on this bill early to mid-June along side S. 1899, a bill by Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 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. From May 25th to June 2nd, your Senators will be on recess, spending much of that time in their district offices. Please take the time to seize this wonderful opportunity to make your voice heard. More than ever, we need you to contact your Senators during the recess to let them know that SCNT is vital to stem cell research and must NOT be criminalized. Tell your Senators to vote “Yes” on S. 2439 and vote “No” on S. 1899. Talking points and background information are available on the CAMR Website (www.camradvocacy.org). WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? Take Action! There are two steps: Call or fax a letter to your Senators in support of SCNT. Set up an appointment to meet with your Senator while they’re home in their district offices. Click <http://www.camradvocacy.org/> to be taken to the website of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research. This site will provide background information on the current debate. Write a letter to the editor of your local or regional newspaper (see instructions below). Make your support of SCNT known!!!!! Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor are letters written to the Editor of the newspaper on a specific issue that the paper has recently addressed. A letter can also be written about a topic in the news, even if the paper has yet to address it. A standard “Letter to the Editor” is brief and consists of only a few paragraphs. We have developed a simple fill-in-the-blank template to help you with this process. If your newspaper has recently run an article, op-ed, or commentary on therapeutic cloning that is against our position, use Sample 1. If your newspaper has recently run something pro-therapeutic cloning, use Sample 2. If your newspaper has not recently (past few weeks) run anything at all on cloning, use Sample 3. If you’re not sure, just use Sample 3 or check the website of your local paper, they usually archive past articles, op-eds, and commentaries. NOTE: You should submit these to your local newspapers. You can submit “Letters” either via fax, mail, or email. Please call your local newspaper to see what the word limit is for “Letters to the Editor”. Feel free to add your personal points, but remember that many papers have a limit of about 200 words so keeping it short will ensure a better chance of getting it published. TO SEND VIA EMAIL: Utilize CAMR's fabulous new software on the website that will send your letter immediately to the newspapers in your area. Simply select “Contact the Media” on the homepage. Enter your zip code, select your local newspaper that you would like to receive your letter, and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Compose Message.” Be sure to edit our sample letter and input the required personal information and then send your message. The sample letter to the editor email is the same as Sample 3 below. If your letter runs in the newspaper, please send a copy to us either via email [log in to unmask] or fax: 202-887-5633. We’d like to deliver as many as possible to Senators in case they missed it in their hometown papers. SAMPLE 1 (Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime telephone number and email address if submitted electronically) (Date) Dear Editor: Your (article, op-ed, commentary) (put exact name of article in quotes here) has several misconceptions about therapeutic cloning that need to be addressed. As (a parent of a child with X, or someone living with X disease), it’s extremely important to me that the American public and your readers know the truth about therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies. No sperm is ever used. The cells are not transplanted into a womb. And, therapeutic cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA. People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life. (I, my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the disease. For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.). Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way. In the coming weeks, the Senate will vote on whether or not to make this research illegal and hence throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives of millions literally hang in the balance. A vote against therapeutic cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life. Sincerely yours, Full Name of Writer) (Title, if any) SAMPLE 2 (Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime telephone number and email address if submitted electronically) (Date) Dear Editor: Thank-you for the (article, op-ed, commentary) (put exact name of article in quotes here). As (a parent of a child with X, or someone living with X disease), I want the American public and your readers know the truth about therapeutic cloning, which is so misunderstood. Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies. No sperm is ever used. The cells are not transplanted into a womb. And, therapeutic cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA. People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life. (I, my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the disease. For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.). Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way. In the coming weeks, the Senate will vote on whether or not to make this research illegal and hence throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives of millions literally hang in the balance. A vote against therapeutic cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life. Sincerely yours, (Full Name of Writer) (Title, if any) SAMPLE 3 (Include your contact information here -- name, address, daytime telephone number and email address if submitted electronically) (Date) Dear Editor: In the coming weeks, the Senate will vote on a very controversial issue of critical importance to me and my family. As (a parent of a child with X, or someone living with X disease), I want the American public and your readers know the truth about therapeutic cloning, which could help save millions living with incurable diseases and conditions. Therapeutic cloning is fundamentally different from human reproductive cloning; therapeutic produces stem cells, not babies. No sperm is ever used. The cells are not transplanted into a womb. And, therapeutic cloning could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA. People like (me, or my son, father, etc.) deserve a chance at life. (I, my son, etc.) (briefly name some of the problems associated with the disease. For example, can no longer walk, talk, or feed herself, etc.). Unfortunately, politics has gotten in the way. When the Senate votes, they will decide whether or not to make this research illegal and hence throw patients and researchers in jail for pursuing it. The lives of millions literally hang in the balance. A vote against therapeutic cloning is a vote against patients with incurable diseases, a vote against hope, and a vote against (my, my son’s, etc.) chance at life. Sincerely yours, (Full Name of Writer) (Title, if any) **Please remember if you choose to email your letter to the editor via the CAMR website, you will send Sample letter 3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn