 |
 |
FROM: Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT) April 21, 2004 Wednesday SECTION: LOCAL/REGIONAL NEWS HEADLINE: Bill would foster stem-cell research BYLINE: KEN DIXON [log in to unmask] HARTFORD Doctors and lawmakers pushed for legislation Tuesday to make it easier for scientists to use embryonic stem cells in seeking cures for major diseases. Rep. Lawrence G. Miller, R-Stratford, said stem-cell research has helped him beat cancer and inspired him to become a strong Capitol advocate for the search for cures to such diseases as diabetes and Alzheimer's . But he realizes that the controversial issue has a strong opponent in the Roman Catholic Church, which could kill a bill that is pending before the House of Representatives. Speaker of the House Moira K. Lyons, D-Stamford, said the bill remains alive on the calendar, though its fate remains uncertain in the waning days of the session. But she has encountered a new lobbyist: her son, a physician studying the issue at Stanford University. During a morning news conference in the Legislative Office Building, Sen. George L. Gunther, R-Stratford, joined Miller and other lawmakers to support the House bill. "It's absolutely the right time to be doing this bill," said Gunther, a retired naturopathic physician. Dr. Diane Krause, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at Yale University's School of Medicine, said embryonic stem cells, taken from fertilized human eggs as young as 4 or 5 days, have the ability to develop into any type of cell in the body. She said California and New Jersey have adopted legislation to foster the research and as a result, Connecticut is already missing out because scientific talent is flocking to places that are supportive of their work. "It is imperative to have this legislation to assure stem-cell research," said Krause, an expert in adult stem cells that can regenerate certain types of body tissues, adding that it is not a substitute for the need for embryonic research. Theodore Rasmussen, a Ph.D. at the UConn Center for Regenerative Biology, said researchers need the assurance that the state will not attempt to cut off funding or otherwise hinder the controversial research. Lyons, in a phone interview, said that last year the bill would not have gotten as far as this year. "I understand science and medicine is evolving very quickly," Lyons said. "We want to be able to give people the tools to fight genetic defects." She said she 's "wrestling" with the bill in her own conscience. Lyons said one of the fears about the bill is the perception of allowing possible human cloning. But her son at Stanford has been talking with her about it. "He understands the need to go further in developing the science," she said. For Miller, a cancer survivor who underwent stem-cell treatments in recent years, the issue is an easy one: it saves lives. He admitted that it is sometimes hard to see the truth or envision the future, so the bill faces opposition. "Galileo said the Earth was round and they excommunicated him for that," Miller said. Ken Dixon, who covers the Capitol, can be reached at [860] 549-4670. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn