CAMR calls on U.S. Senate to pass stem cell research act

At an event on Capitol Hill with Senators Specter (R-PA), Harkin (D-IA), Hatch (R-UT), Kennedy (D-MA) and Feinstein (D-CA), the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) called on the U.S. Senate to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

The Senate will vote this week on this legislation, which is designed to override President Bush's August 9, 2001 executive order limiting federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Nearly three-quarters of Americans support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

"There are 100 million Americans suffering from debilitating diseases and disorders for which embryonic stem cell research provides great hope," said Sean Tipton, president of CAMR. "It is our hope that each and every Senator will do what is right for America and vote 'yea' when they are called upon to vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act later this week and not be distracted by other bills such as S. 30 which is clearly a White House-driven red herring," added Tipton.

"Every day since I was three years old, I've had to do 12-15 finger pricks and I now wear an insulin pump," said Caitlin McEnery, a Fairfield, CT native and Georgetown University senior with Type I diabetes. "Because I have had diabetes for the past 19 years, I am doing everything within my power to fight for better treatments and cures so that future generations will not have to go through what life is like every day for someone with diabetes," added McEnery.

"Being diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's at age 23 is nothing short of life-changing," said Karl Robb of Fairfax, Virginia, who spoke at the event on behalf of the Parkinson's Action Network. "Embryonic stem cell research provides tremendous hope, and there should be no hesitation on any Senator's part in voting to pass this legislation. It's the right thing to do," Robb added.

The 109th Congress passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which was vetoed by President Bush on July 19, 2006. The 110th Congress made federal funding for embryonic stem cell research a top priority when the U.S. House of Representatives re-introduced the legislation early in the session and on January 11, 2007, passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 3).

Thousands of scientists and doctors, including many Nobel laureates, as well as the Director of the National Institutes of Health, recognize that current federal restrictions on stem cell research seriously endanger scientific and medical advancement in the United States. CAMR believes the federal government must fund human embryonic stem cell research. If this bill does not pass, the lives and well being of millions of Americans and their families are put at risk, and we also risk losing America's leadership position in the fields of science and medicine.

"All across America, concerned citizens have been picking up their phones and calling Capitol Hill to make their voices heard, and we're confident the bill will pass with strong bipartisan support this week," said Tipton. "We are pleased with the bipartisan effort of Senators Reid, Hatch, Harkin, Specter, Feinstein, Kennedy and Smith for their unfailing dedication to this issue and this particular legislation."