 |
 |
www.stemcellaction.org Thursday, May 11, 2006 Dear Fellow SCAN Members, I am writing again because I can't stop thinking about numbers: the millions of Americans who suffer from diseases that may be helped if stem cell research proceeds with significant support from the federal government; the 400,000 embryos in storage in the nation's fertility clinics that will be thrown away, wasted; the inadequate number of stem cell lines, (less than 30) available to researchers using federal funds because of restrictions created by President Bush in August 2001. The numbers on my mind are the numbers on the clock. I was diagnosed with M.S. in 1978 and too many hours and days are passing without a cure. Will embryonic stem cell research provide a cure? If the funding barriers continue, we will not know the answer for a very long time. For millions of Americans like me, wasting time is disrespectful and deadly. With unprecedented bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 810 - The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act - on May 24, 2005. It has been nearly a year, and despite promises from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that the bill would see swift action in the Senate, it has not. Senator Frist, the Majority leader of the House of Representatives is keeping this bill locked up in committee because he can. He is keeping it locked up because he believes that few Americans really care about this bill which would open federal funding to more stem cell lines, the very thing that so many researchers need to proceed with their work. I wrote to you last Saturday, asking you to call Frist's office (202.224.3344) or send him a fax if you prefer (fax: 202.228.1264). If you have already done so, I want to give you my thanks. Since this is all about numbers, please think about how you can keep the phone ringing in Frist's office. Consider sending a request to your contact lists, friends, family and ask them to call or fax. Tell them why this is important to you, to all of us. If we can demonstrate the power of numbers, Senator Frist and his aides will respond. Thank you, Idelle Datlof Executive Director Stem Cell Action Network ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn