If you live in New York OR if you have family or friends that live in NY-- Please read and take action! A bill supporting stem cell and regenerative medical research in New York State is pending in the NYS Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was passed in the Assembly last year, but needs a Senate sponsor. Please read the following and contact your State Senator and also forward this letter to ALL of your friends and family in New York State, and ask them to pass the information on to everyone they know. A sample letter to Senators is included below. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Linda Herman [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------- * New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical Research NYS Stem Cell Research Legislation ACTION ALERT Stem cell research and therapeutic "cloning" (SCNT) could hold the key to developing new treatments for debilitating diseases. Millions of Americans suffer from chronic, degenerative and acute diseases, such as Juvenile Diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer and heart disease. In 2003, the New York State Assembly passed the Reproductive Cloning Prohibition and Research Protection Act (A.6249-A). Sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-64), the bill seeks to protect stem cell research and therapeutic cloning, while prohibiting reproductive cloning. NYAMR (New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical Research) is currently working to find a Senate Republican to sponsor this bill and to advance it in the New York State Senate. We need your assistance to help us to gain support in the Senate for protecting stem cell research in New York State. Understanding the Legislative Issues: · A.6249-A amends the Public Health Law by adding a new section entitled “Human Cloning”. This section establishes protections for therapeutic cloning and stem cell research and creates a legislative commission to examine and evaluate stem cell research and cloning. Additionally, this section prohibits reproductive cloning and provides penalties for violators. There is currently not a Senate sponsor for this legislation. --New Jersey has recently passed a similar bill into law, and their governor is proposing $6.5 million in state funding to develop a Stem Cell Research Institute at Rutgers University, expected to attract world-class researchers and biotech companies to the Garden State, creating jobs and related economic benefits for New Jersey. -- Legislation to prohibit the use of cloning technology for any purpose - therapeutic or reproductive - has been introduced by State Senator Raymond Meier (R-47). The bill, S.206, which is still pending in committee, prohibits stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. The existence of this legislation in the Senate makes it critical for proponents of stem cell research to contact their State Senators and express their support for A.6249-A, which protects stem cell research and their opposition to S.206, which prohibits it. The Importance of Stem Cell Research: · Millions of Americans suffer from chronic, degenerative and acute diseases, including Juvenile Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and heart disease. These conditions cause immense physical and psychological suffering, and are often life threatening. · Further the costs of treatment and lost productivity for these diseases constitute hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the United States, and create a substantial economic burden for those suffering from these diseases. · Human stem cell research and therapeutic cloning offer great promise for developing new treatment and prevention methods for these debilitating diseases. Get Involved: Here’s what you can do to help: CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR (Senate Switchboard (518) 455-2800). Use talking points above and a personal story to make your case. WRITE YOUR SENATOR A LETTER. Use the attached “sample letter to Senators on stem cell research” as a template, add your own personal experiences and include your address and phone number so their office can follow up with you to discuss your position further. VISIT the local offices of your State Senator. Bring a letter with you to the meeting and leave a copy with your Senator. TO FIND OUT WHO REPRESENTS YOU GO TO: http://www.elections.state.ny.us/sboemaps/maps.htm Click on “Find Your Voting District Map and Representative”, Enter your address and Click on “State Senate Districts” TO FIND THE ADDRESS OF YOUR STATE SENATOR GO TO THE ABOVE WEBSITE AND CLICK ON “Get A List Of All Your New York State Officials” Find your Senator on the list SENATORS NEED TO HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTIC CLONING. ASK YOUR STATE SENATOR TO SUPPORT A.6249-A AND ALSO ASK THEM TO SPEAK TO SENATE MAJORITY LEADER BRUNO ABOUT THIS LEGISLATION!!!!!! *New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical research is a coalition of NYS disease organizations, including the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, patient advocates, AMDEC (an organization of leading NYS research institutions), scientists, biotech industry representatives, Haddasah, and many others. SAMPLE LETTER TO SENATORS ON STEM CELL RESEARCH Dear Senator [INSERT NAME]: I am writing to request your support for legislation to enact the reproductive cloning prohibition and research protection act (A.6249-A). This legislation establishes protections for therapeutic cloning and stem cell research, while prohibiting reproductive cloning. A.6249-A also creates a legislative commission to examine, evaluate and advise the Legislature on issues related to human cloning, genetic engineering and stem cell research. This legislation has passed the Assembly but does not have a Senate sponsor. A.6249-A has been circulated to many of your colleagues and there is a substantial amount of interest. The reasons behind the introduction and passage of this legislation in the State Senate are simple for patients with crippling diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Juvenile Diabetes, and their relatives and friends. [ADD PERSONAL EXPERIENCE] New York State law is currently silent on the legality of this issue, however proposals have been introduced in both the Senate and Assembly, which threaten this invaluable research and technology. The most drastic measure S.206(Meier) would completely prohibit the use of cloning technology for any purpose, therapeutic or reproductive. If passed, this legislation would be devastating to the many New Yorkers who suffer from the physical, psychological and economic burdens of life-threatening and debilitating diseases. As one of your constituents, I respectfully request your assistance in ensuring that the hope and promise created by stem cell research and therapeutic cloning are not suffocated by legislation prohibiting it. The future lives of so many children and adults depend on you actions. Please support A.6249-A to protect stem cell research and please let Senate Majority Leader Bruno know that you would like it to be considered by the Senate. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn