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FROM: Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "CAMR" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2005 17:41:51 GMT Subject: Stem Cell Action Needed Over Congressional 4th of July Break Action Needed During Congressional Break for Fourth of July!!! This weekend, Members of the U.S. Senate will return to their home states for the Fourth of July Congressional break. This will likely be your last opportunity to urge your Senator to vote in favor of embryonic stem cell research before the issue comes to a vote on the Senate floor later in July. Please take advantage of this great opportunity to deliver this message: VOTE PRO-CURES PASS H.R. 810 NO AMENDMENTS! We need you to help us build on the House passage of the Castle-DeGette Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, HR 810. You and your collective voices helped us bring about a near miracle in the House -- 50 Republican Members of Congress voting for HR 810 -- and now we need to confirm that victory in the Senate, and bring unprecedented pressure to bear on the White House to sign this into law! Here's how you can win for stem cell research again next week. Contact your two Senator's local offices. Find out where he or she will be making public appearances. Then show up with large hand-made signs and banners urging a "yes" vote for stem cell research (H.R. 810) with no amendments! Remember, if even friendly Senators try to change the Castle-DeGette bill in seemingly innocuous ways, it could force another floor vote in the House which could kill our current momentum. Write letters, make phone calls, try to see your Senator in person and tell him/her your personal reason for favoring embryonic stem cell research. Write a Letter to the Editor to your local paper. Your Senators and their staffs will read them. We have provided a template below to help you draft your letter. We need to be seen by every Senator – whether they are on our side or not, or if they are still making up their mind. We need to make the PRO-CURES Movement visible in this country to every U.S. Senator. With your help -- as you have given it in the past -- we will win in the end. Sample Letter to the Editor: Although I am neither a scientist nor a politician, I am very interested in embryonic stem cell research. It is particularly important to me as a person and as an American. ***[EXPLAIN YOUR STEM CELL RESEARCH CONNECTION IN 2 OR 3 SENTENCES]. When President Bush announced his stem cell policy in August 2001, we could not have foreseen that the 78 embryonic stem cell lines available for research at that time would not be sufficient today. While it originally appeared that 78 lines would be used for research under the federal policy, only 22 are available to researchers today. Today, there’s a good chance to change the Administration’s outdated policy on stem cell research. The House of Representatives has already voted YES on HR 810, a bill that expands the cell lines available for federal research. The legislation also establishes federal guidelines to ensure that embryonic stem cell research moves forward in a safe and ethical manner. Now it is the responsibility of the Senate to pass identical legislation with strong bi-partisan support. Polls show solid majorities of conservatives, moderates, and liberals support expanding stem cell research. I urge [YOUR SENATORS] to join [HIS/HER] Democratic and Republican colleagues in voting YES on HR 810, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 – without any amendments. This would mean so much to me and my family. Congress has the chance to expand this policy and vote in favor of stem cell research. Unfortunately, President Bush has vowed to veto this important legislation. Despite the promise of the research, and despite recent polling data that shows that over 70% of Americans believe that stem cell research should be allowed today, the President seems to be bending to the political will of a minority rather than standing with the millions of Americans who could benefit from this research. As the merits of advancing stem cell research are debated, I would urge the President to reconsider his position and stand together with the bipartisan majority in Congress who want to help people like me and my family. The world’s top scientists agree that this research could lead to new treatments or even a cure for [ME, MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS], or of millions of people battling other serious diseases and conditions. For me, this is not a political debate or a partisan issue – it is about a hopeful science that could potentially save [ME OR LOVED ONE WITH A DISEASE THAT COULD BE HELPED BY STEM CELL RESEARCH]. It is my sincere hope that politicians of both parties will support this important research and vote YES on HR 810. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn