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----- Original Message ----- From: "Murray Charters" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 4:40 PM Subject: CALIFORNIA: Senator Pledges To Fight in Congress For Right To Do Embryonic Stem-Cell Research > The San Francisco Chronicle > Boxer, on campaign trail, visits stem-cell research lab > Senator pledges to fight in Congress for right to do the work > John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer > Wednesday, July 2, 2003 > > Sen. Barbara Boxer, combining campaign politics and policy, toured a stem cell research lab in Menlo Park on Tuesday > and warned she's ready to battle conservative critics of the work with human embryos. > > "I'm very excited by what I have seen and by the potential of stem cell research," she told about 40 workers at Geron, > a biotechnology company. > > "You are doing what I feel is God's work." > > In recent years, scientists have found that stem cells, taken from days-old embryos, are building blocks that could be > used to repair damaged organs and cure such ailments as juvenile diabetes and Parkinson's disease. But because the > embryos are destroyed in the process, the federal government has put strict limits on the research. > > Destruction of an embryo, regardless of the age or the purpose, is simply wrong, said Jan Carroll, a spokeswoman for > the California Pro-Life Council. > > "There seems to be an aggressive movement to use human embryos for stem cell research," she said. "That's a donor who > has to give up his or her life so part of the body can be used in research." > > Talk about cloning embryos or destroying those used in research within 15 days are simply attempts to deny the biology > behind the effort, Carroll added. > > "They're just making excuses for using these human beings for research," she said. > > Boxer, wearing a white lab coat with her name stitched over the pocket, walked through a small laboratory with Jan > Lebkowski, Geron's vice president of regenerative medicine. > > MICROSCOPE VIEW > > Surrounded by reporters and researchers, the senator looked through a microscope at basic, undifferentiated stem cells, > then at others that had been developed into neurons that can be used to treat Parkinson's disease and into heart cells > that hopefully will repair cardiac damage. > > By the end of the year, scientific trials could be under way with mice and rats to see if the new cells can help fix > ailing hearts, Lebkowski said. > > "This is a very exciting time," she said. > > With Boxer on the ballot for re-election next year, the visit to Geron had all the trappings of a campaign stop. The > senator made it clear that California voters will hear plenty more about stem cell research before the November 2004 > vote. > > "This is going to be one of the biggest issues," she said unapologetically. "I'm going to take it on the campaign > trail." > > A TOP GOP TARGET > > As one of the Senate's most liberal members and a vocal opponent of President Bush, Boxer knows she will be a top > Republican target next year. But she's confident she can use issues such as the stem cell debate to steamroll her > conservative opposition. > > Disease doesn't follow party lines or ideological labels, Boxer said. > > "What's a family's biggest fear?" she asked. "It isn't terrorism . . . It's about someone getting cancer, someone > having heart disease . . . or a child getting ill. It's a coffee-table issue that people worry about every day." > > Boxer talked about a friend facing grueling surgery to ease the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. > > "It's personal to a lot of people," she added, because almost everyone knows someone suffering from cancer, heart > disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes or one of the many other diseases stem cell research could target. > > "It sounds like Mom and apple pie to support fighting disease," she said. "Unfortunately, it's been muddied by > politics." > > DIVIDED SENATE > > The stem cell battle already has split the Senate, which has failed to find filibuster-proof majorities for several > competing stem cell research proposals. > > "In the House and the Senate, there are people who want to ban all types of stem cell research, closing that door > forever," Boxer said. "They haven't succeeded because there are enough of us there to hold them back, at least for > now." > > Bush has opposed expanded stem cell research and tightly limited the use of federal funds for the work. That has meant > tough times for companies like Geron, which already has expanded its work overseas, where there are fewer restrictions > on the research. > > "I'm worried that for the first time in our history, we're not going to be the leader in a field that holds so much > promise," Boxer said. > > E-mail John Wildermuth at [log in to unmask] > > SOURCE: The San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 5 > http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/07/02/MN261859.DTL&type =printable > > * * * > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn