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---------- Forwarded Message from PAN---------- From: "Amy Comstock Rick (Parkinson's Action Network)" [log in to unmask] Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:39:01 -0400 Parkinson's community, This has already been a remarkably busy week with two important victories. Both of them, however, need further action before they are permanent. Stem Cells: We were very pleased last night that the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the preliminary injunction pending its review of the appeal of the judicial challenge to federal funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. Without getting mired down in all the various terms and courts, what this means is that federal funding for hESC research will continue at least for the time period that it takes for the Court of Appeals to review Judge Lamberth's August 23rd decision to enjoin funding. You should also know that yesterday the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), of which PAN is a founding member, filed an amicus brief in the District Court. This brief supports and compliments the Department of Justice (DoJ) brief that was filed on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Monday. Both the CAMR brief and the DoJ brief, plus all the supporting documents for both, can be found on the CAMR Web site at www.camradvocacy.org. We are by no means out of the woods on this difficult issue, however. The legal arguments still need to be heard in both the District Court and the Court of Appeals, and there is no guarantee of outcome. It is for this reason that we are encouraging legislative action to ensure that federal funding for hESC research continues. We are asking all of our advocates to contact their Members of Congress to urge them to support stem cell legislation. The Stem Cell Research Advancement Acts – H.R. 4808 in the House and S. 3766 in the Senate – would solidify the current NIH guidelines for hESC research. Both bills provide a basis for protecting NIH's ability to continue to support the important scientific work that provides much hope to millions of patients and their families. But, we cannot wait to make our voices heard. Our action must begin now and continue without stop until Congress passes important stem cell legislation. Neurological Data Bill: Also last night, the Parkinson's community secured another victory—the National Neurological Diseases Surveillance System Act was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives! Thank you to all the advocates who helped secure support for this imperative legislation. Last night's passage in the House was historic, but, unfortunately, we are not quite done yet. To make this data system a reality, the Senate must now take action on S. 1273. You can help by e-mailing your Senators today. Please take action on both of these important issues today. While our victories in the last few days are rewarding, in order to truly benefit the Parkinson's community, these bills must be passed into law and, in these tough political times, that can only happen if you let your Members of Congress know that this is your priority. Sincerely,Amy Comstock Rick = ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn