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Legislative Priorities California can send a message on stem cells Lillian Lincoln Howell Tuesday, April 22, 2003 ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle President Bush's first official message to the nation from the Oval Office on a specific topic was to clarify a path for stem-cell research. Yet, almost two years since that address, the debate about this form of research has been muddled with worries about human cloning that continue to strike emotional chords. The media have either poked fun at the concept of cloning or written somewhat hysterically about its negative possibilities. The fact is, however, human cloning and stem-cell research are very different. And if legislation (such as the vote by the House of Representatives late in February to ban all forms of human cloning, including cloned embryos used to extract stem cells) is effective in blocking the latter, it will have a tragic effect on the lives and health of a great many people. The benefits of stem-cell research have recently been articulated in a variety of rational forums and symposiums. Distinguished American medical researchers (including James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA) continue to suggest that, simply put, generating new sources of human stem cells will assist us in determining if the bad cells causing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type-I diabetes, spinal cord injuries and breast cancer can be replaced by healthy ones. How can we not pursue the possible cures for illnesses that have so troubled humankind? If we had followed the argument of some, we would not have sought the cures for tuberculosis, smallpox and cancer plaguing our population for generations. Now Californians have the opportunity to make a bold statement in favor of stem-cell research and its importance to the future of so many Americans. Wednesday in Sacramento, the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hear legislation, introduced by committee chairwoman Sen. Debra Ortiz, D- Sacramento, that could go a long way toward establishing a proactive environment for this important research. The bills (SB322, SB771 and SB778) would set up a specific framework for enhancing stem-cell research in the state by: establishing an advisory review board in the state Department of Health Services to assist in developing stem-cell policy; creating a state mechanism to oversee stem-cell research, facilitate voluntary donations of embryos and impose fewer restrictions than those mandated by the White House; and establishing ways to fund stem-cell research and facilities. The battleground on stem-cell research will soon shift to the U.S. Senate, where it, too, will determine if a prohibition should be included in anti- reproductive cloning legislation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- who has been quoted as saying that the House vote "sends the wrong message to America's medical research community" -- has introduced a bill to encourage new sources of stem cells. So we need to act now to send the right message -- all the way back to Capitol Hill -- that restricting stem-cell research would be ill advised. Ortiz's legislation provides that dramatic opportunity. Passage of her bills here in California will likely have therapeutic effects on human lives in the future. Her legislation could almost certainly move us toward a wise state policy that reduces suffering and may help Americans live longer and better lives. Lillian Lincoln Howell is the founder and chairwoman of KTSF-TV, a Bay Area station specializing in Asian-language programming. Reference: Senator Deborah Ortiz http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/ortiz/ (Click on Legislation) SOURCE: The San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 23 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/22/ED137939.DTL * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn