Update on Stem Cell Litigation
From: Diane Wyshak
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 5:46 PM
To: ray ; Dr. Kong ; don reed
Subject: Fw: Update on Stem Cell Litigation
----- Original Message -----
From: Amy Comstock Rick (Parkinson's Action Network)
To: Diane Wyshak
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 4:41 PM
Subject: Update on Stem Cell Litigation
To friends in the Parkinson's community,
As I said to you in my e-mail of August 25th, all of us at PAN found the imposition of an injunction halting federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research (hESC), issued pursuant to Sherley v. Sebilus, to be both devastating and unexpected. PAN, as a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), has been working hard to ensure that the voices of those who are truly affected by this awful decision - patients and researchers - are heard in this case. Today, CAMR, with the help of PAN and on behalf of its extensive membership, filed an amicus curiae brief with Judge Lamberth of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The brief was submitted in support of the papers filed by the Department of Justice on Tuesday asking Judge Lamberth to "stay" the preliminary injunction and restore federal funding for hESC research while the full case is heard in court.
Using the massive amount of publicly available information that exists about the promise of hESC research, the brief shows the immediate harm that will result if the preliminary injunction is not stayed and the devastation that will result if federal funding for this promising field of research is halted. I believe that it makes a very strong case, not just on behalf of CAMR members, but on behalf of everyone who stands to benefit from hESC research. For your information, you can read both the brief filed on behalf of CAMR and the brief filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a companion to the NIH brief, you will find a very compelling Declaration by Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of NIH.
I would like to add that the law firm of Arnold & Porter has represented CAMR on this matter on a pro bono basis. Dan Lewis, a Maryland Congressional Coordinator for PAN, introduced us to Arnold & Porter and made this representation possible. Dan is a retired partner at Arnold & Porter and an active advocate for the Parkinson's community. We are very grateful to Dan and to Arnold & Porter for all the help that they have given us in this matter. It was clear to me from our first conversation with the law firm that they saw the significance of this issue; they instantly made the preparation of this brief a top priority.
As stated earlier, a legislative fix to this problem remains the best permanent solution. On Thursday, PAN sent an Action Alert encouraging you to tell your Members of Congress that legislation must be a priority this fall. We continue to encourage you to do that. Members will be returning to Congress in 10 days with many pressing matters facing them. We must let them know that their constituents want action ensuring federal funding for hESC research.
We expect to hear a decision from Judge Lamberth as early as Tuesday. I will let you know of that decision as soon as we learn something.
I hope you all have a relaxing Labor Day weekend, but don't forget to let your Members know how important this issue is to you and our community.
Amy Comstock Rick
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