ONE DAY OPPORTUNITY

Dear Friend of Stem Cell Research:

Does your Congressional Representative support stem cell research? If so, he/she needs to contact U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette or Mike Castle TODAY—tomorrow at the latest—Friday May 22^nd is the deadline. (Sorry for the no-warning, I just found out ten minutes ago!)

Representatives DeGette and Castle as always are leading the charge for stem cell research, and are working to make sure the new NIH guidelines are clear and reasonable. They are asking other Representatives to co-sign their note expressing support for our concerns.

Here is the info to forward to your U.S. Representative.

If you don't have his/her email address handy, go to this easy-to-use link:

 http://www.house.gov/house/Memberwww_by_state.shtml

Click on your state, click on your representative, and just cut, paste, and send the following information.

Thanks so much!

Don C. Reed, www.stemcellbattles.com

Letter to NIH re: Draft Stem Cell Guidelines

Deadline - Friday, May 22

CURRENT SIGNERS

Adler • Arcuri • Baird • Baldwin • Becerra • Biggert • Boswell • Capps • Carnahan • Carney • Carson •  Castor • Christensen • Clark • Clay • Cleaver • Cooper • Crowley • Cummings • Davis, Danny • Davis, Susan • DeFazio • DeLauro • Dent • Doggett • Edwards, Donna • Ellison • Engel • Etheridge • Farr • Filner • Fudge • Gonzalez • Grayson • Green, Al • Green, Gene • Hall, John • Hare • Harman • Hastings, Alcee • Hinchey • Hirono • Holt • Honda • Inslee • Johnson, Eddie Bernice • Johnson, Hank • Kennedy  Kilpatrick • Kind • Kirk • Kosmas • Langevin • Larson • Lee, Barbara • Levin • Lewis, John • Loebsack • Lofgren • Lowey • Maloney • Markey, Betsey • Matsui • McCarthy • McCollum •  McDermott  McGovern • McMahon • Mitchell • Moore • Murphy, Patrick • Nadler • Olver • Pallone • Pascrell  Pastor • Polis • Rahall • Rothman • Sanchez • Schakowsky • Schauer • Schwartz • Scott, Bobby • Serrano • Shea-Porter • Sherman • Sires • Snyder • Space • Sutton • Tauscher • Thompson, Mike  Tierney • Tsongas • Tsongas • Van Hollen • Velazquez • Wasserman Schultz • Watson • Watt • Weiner • Wexler • Woolsey • Yarmuth

REMINDER: Rep. DeGette is collecting signatures on the House Floor

As a supporter of stem cell research, we wanted to alert you that the NIH has solicited comments on draft guidelines for human stem cell research required under President Obama's March Executive Order.

Reps. DeGette and Castle would like to invite your boss to sign a letter to NIH (see below) on the importance of stem cell research; how pleased we are that the guidelines are moving forward; and to urge that NIH address any unresolved issues.  Namely, the letter says that:

·        Congress recognizes the need for strong federal leadership by the NIH in carrying out a responsible stem cell research program and that we hope the NIH guidelines will become the gold standard for stem cell research.

·         Any responsibly derived stem cell lines should be eligible for federal funding, regardless of the date on which they were derived.  The NIH should develop criteria for determining whether lines that are currently in use should continue to be eligible for federal funding.

·        Congress supports periodic updates to the guidelines and that the NIH should explicitly state that the guidelines will be updated to reflect future ethically responsible and scientifically worthy advances.

Rep. DeGette will be collecting signatures this week only on the House Floor.  Please feel free to have your Representative sign directly with Rep. DeGette or to contact Heather Foster (heather.foster@...) in Rep. DeGette's office and Olivia Kurtz (olivia.kurtz@...)  in Rep. Castle's office to be added.

Thank you!

Letter to NIH re: Draft Stem Cell Guidelines

Deadline - Friday, May 22

May 22, 2009

Dr. Raynard S. Kington                                                          Kathleen Sebelius

Acting Director                                                                       Secretary

National Institutes of Health                                                  U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

Building 1                                                                               Humphrey Building

1 Center Drive, Room 126 MSC0148                                    200 Independence Ave., SW

Bethesda, MD   10892                                                              Washington , DC 20201

Dear Dr. Kington:

As supporters of embryonic stem cell research, we are excited that expanded stem cell research efforts will soon commence thanks to Executive Order 13505, signed by President Barack Obama on March 9, 2009, and the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) upcoming final guidelines on human stem cell research.  By establishing a predictable framework to guide stem cell research, scientists can confidently pursue the promise of treatments and cures for the most debilitating diseases. 

In the face of fragmented state and private research that is currently being undertaken, we recognize the need for strong federal leadership by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in carrying out a responsible stem cell research program in order to realize the full potential for stem cell therapies.  The importance of these guidelines must not be diminished, as it is our hope that they would be adopted as the gold standard across the federal government and around the world.

In reviewing the draft guidelines we would like to make the following comments:

We believe that any responsibly derived stem cell lines should be eligible for federal funding, regardless of the date on which they were derived.  In order to maximize the scientific research already underway, the NIH must adopt an inclusive policy that would expand and not limit stem cell research; the NIH should develop criteria for determining whether or not lines that are currently in use should continue to be eligible for federal funding. 

We support periodic updates to the guidelines by NIH, so that the guidelines will reflect scientific needs and advances for all forms of ethical stem cell research, and encourage the NIH to expressly state that scientifically worthy advances will be addressed in future updates to the guidelines.  Important research tools will likely be discovered in the coming years, necessitating that the guidelines be adapted accordingly.  Similarly, we believe that the guidelines should specify only which types of stem cell research are currently eligible to receive federal funding.

Medical and scientific research, including embryonic stem cell research, holds great promise for alleviating the suffering of the 100 million American patients who are living with devastating diseases — from Parkinson's disease to spinal cord injuries to diabetes — for which there are no good treatments or cures.  We thank you again for your commitment to advancing the field and for your consideration of our comments as you work to finalize the guidelines for human stem cell research.