 |
 |
great!!!! Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------------------- From: "shan" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:18 AM To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: ESCR under attack - CONTACT NIH TODAY!!! > ________________ > Done that for my friends in Singapore too.. > > > > > ________________________________ > From: JOHN YOCHIM <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 4:55:36 PM > Subject: Re: ESCR under attack - CONTACT NIH TODAY!!! > > 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn