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COSPONSORS NEEDED!
Please call your Representative today to cosponsor the Stem Cell Enhancement Act of 2004! Simply click here to find the phone number and see below for talking points. You can check to see if your Representative is already a cosponsor by clicking here.
At a June 23rd Capitol Hill press conference, Representatives Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diane DeGette (D-CO) joined several patient advocates in expressing their desire for President Bush to expand the Administration’s current stem cell research policy. Additionally, Representatives Castle and DeGette introduced the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2004" (H.R. 4682), which would enable researchers to explore the promise and potential of stem cells.
Human embryonic stem cells have the potential to treat and better understand the deadly and disabling diseases that affect more than 100 million Americans, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and many others.
When President Bush announced his stem cell policy in August 2001, we did not foresee that the 78 lines available for research at that time would not be sufficient. Tell your Representative the challenges with the current policy are the following:
 While it originally appeared that 78 embryonic stem cell lines would be available for research under the federal policy, now, more than two years after August 9, 2001, only 19 are available to researchers. All of those lines are contaminated with mouse feeder cells, making their therapeutic use for humans uncertain. Scientists are reporting that it is increasingly difficult to attract new scientists to this area of research because of concerns that funding restrictions will keep this research from being successful. Talking Points on H.R 4682:
Note: When you call, ask for the health aide, and if the aide is not there, leave a detailed voicemail for him/her and request a return call. Try to avoid leaving a message with the front desk.
As a constituent, I am calling to urge Representative _________ to cosponsor H.R. 4682, the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2004" introduced by Representatives Castle and DeGette. This bill would expand the current federal policy on embryonic stem cell research to allow for federal funding on stem cell lines that meet clear ethical guidelines, which is needed for scientists to explore the full promise of this research. Explain your personal connection to this legislation. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to be used to treat and better understand a multitude of diseases and injuries. I strongly urge Representative ______ to cosponsor H.R. 4682 to move this important field of research forward. Embryonic stem cell research is about saving and improving lives.
For more information about embryonic stem cell research, please visit www.ChristopherReeve.org.
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We Must. We Can. We Will.
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500 Morris Ave • Springfield, NJ 07081
(800) 225-0292
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