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alan and i each sent a message. thank you! On May 14, 2009, at 3:55 AM, JOHN YOCHIM wrote: > Thank you Ray. I told them. > > --- On Thu, 5/14/09, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > From: rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: ESCR under attack - CONTACT NIH TODAY!!! > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Thursday, May 14, 2009, 1:16 AM > > CONTACT THE N.I.H. TODAY! A personal request from Don C. Reed > Action asked: Click on the following to contact National Institutes > of Health: > > http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm. > > Dear Stem Cell Research Advocate: > > The next 14 days are crucial in the stem cell research struggle. > > Here's why. > > Remember when President Obama signed that document removing the Bush > stem cell restrictions? That same day he called upon the National > Institutes of Health to draft a new set of guidelines for scientists > wanting federal funding. > > Those guidelines have just been issued. (http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009draft.htm > ) > > The next 14 days are the comment period for the new guidelines for > stem cell research, which American scientists will have to live with > if they want federal funding. This is the public's only chance to > shape those guidelines: which can be improved-or made worse. > Unfortunately, there are problems! > > Not only are the guidelines far more conservative than we had hoped, > but opponents of the research are systematically flooding the > comment process. > > Led by the Catholic Church and other conservative religious bodies, > a national campaign has begun: to attack early stem cell research by > mass emails to the NIH. > > *"The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched > a new "Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research" campaign today, > equipping citizens to contact Congress and the National Institutes > of Health (NIH) to oppose embryonic stem cell research ." -- > WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign > > Is their anti-research campaign having an effect? > > Dr. Wise Young of Rutgers University , ". of the 6000 plus comments > that NIH has received concerning the draft guidelines, 99% were from > people who opposed embryonic stem cell research."-Carecure Forum http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showpost.php?p=1039001&postcount=12 > Imagine what the enemies of research will do with a statistic like > that! Think of the State Senators and Representatives who have to > fight for stem cell funding-they will be hammered-no politician ever > wants to stand alone. > > Supporters of stem cell research must be heard. > > To prevail, we need to do three things: inform ourselves, act > individually, and reach out to our networks. > First, read this message all the way through; it contains background > information from the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical > Research (CAMR), and other sources. > > Second, send your message to the government. Click on the comment > box you will find at the following url: > http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm > > Third, SHARE THIS LETTER-or write your own-- email all your contacts. > > Any statement of support has impact. One sentence can make a > difference. > > Something like: "I support embryonic stem cell research, and am glad > some of the restrictions are being loosened." That matters. > > Anyone who clicks on the comment box, and writes in a sentence-that > message will be tallied as one citizen in support. Of course, you > may say more if you want. If you are a long-term research supporter, > your letter will be put in the expert witness category. > > (If you want to get more involved in shaping the guidelines, that > would be helpful. The guidelines are politically very timid, and > must be strengthened. Problems: > > a "grandfather clause" is needed to insure that every stem cell line > already approved under the previous stringent guidelines will be > eligible; that alternate sources of stem cell lines such as SCNT and > parthenogenesis will not be excluded from funding, and more. (see > CAMR comments below.) > > But every patient advocate in America must at least click on the > comment box, and make a statement in support of early stem cell > research. > > This affects everyone in America, and the world. MORE THAN ONE > PERSON IN A FAMILY MAY COMMENT. Every adult friend or family member > should click and make a comment-- as well as every scientist, > medical student, every teacher, every parent-everyone who has a > reason to want stem cell therapies and cures. > > Here it is, one more time: http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm > . > > Or, send a letter (ideally on letterhead) to: NIH Stem Cell > Guidelines, MSC 7997, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda , Maryland , > 20892-7997 > > But whatever you are going to do, do it now. There is very little > time before the May 26th deadline. > > We have worked hard, many years. We are so close. We must not falter > now. > > Click on the button, send your comments in-do it today, please. > > And thanks. You make the difference: you are one of the overworked > few who change the world. > > P.S. Here is a letter from Amy Comstock-Rick, President of the > Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR); I copied > it from CAMR's website, where much more information can be found: www.camradvocacy.org > . > Help Ensure Strong Federal Support for Embryonic Stem Cell Research - > Submit Comments to the NIH on its Draft Guidelines > As you know, President Obama recently issued an Executive Order > instructing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop > guidelines to establish a framework for federal funding of embryonic > stem cell research. NIH has released its draft guidelines, and the > public has the opportunity to comment on the draft over the next few > weeks. NIH will analyze the content, as well as volume, of the > comments as it finalizes the guidelines. > It will be critical for NIH to hear from the public during the > comment period. Please follow the instructions below to submit your > comments to ensure that the final guidelines are crafted in a way > that ensures that this science advances as quickly as possible. > And, please share the link to this page with your friends, family, > and anyone you know who supports embryonic stem cell research. > How to submit your comments: > Click http://nihoerextra..nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm to be connected > to the NIH comment form; > Provide your name, and select `self' for Affiliation; and > Copy and paste the text below into the comment box, provide the > security check ID on the form, and click `submit comments.' > Suggested comment text (copy and paste into Comment section of NIH > comment form and edit as appropriate for you): > Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise for millions of > Americans suffering from many diseases and disorders. I am not a > scientist, but I have been following progress in this field with > great interest. Significant strides have been made over the past > decade, and the final guidelines issued by NIH must build on this > progress so that cures and new therapies can get to patients as > quickly as possible. The final guidelines should not create new > bureaucratic hurdles that will slow the pace of progress. > I am pleased that these draft guidelines -- in Section II B -- would > appear to permit federal funding of stem cell lines previously not > eligible for federal funding and for new lines created in the future > from surplus embryos at fertility clinics. However, as drafted, > Section II B does not ensure that any current stem cell line will > meet the criteria outlined and thus be eligible for federal > funding. It will be important for the final guidelines to allow > federal funds for research using all stem cell lines created by > following ethical practices at the time they were derived. This > will ensure that the final guidelines build on progress that has > already been made. > I also believe that the final guidelines should permit federal > funding for stem cell lines derived from sources other than excess > IVF embryos, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Sections > II B and IV of the draft guidelines do not permit such federal > funding and I recommend that the final guidelines provide federal > funding using stem cell lines derived in other ways. If not, it is > essential that the NIH continue to monitor developments in this > exciting research area and to update these guidelines as the > research progresses. > Thank you! > Sincerely, > Amy Comstock Rick, president > Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research > > Rayilyn Brown > Director AZNPF > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation > [log in to unmask] > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn