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PAN CEO Testifies Before Democratic Platform Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C.; April 1, 2008– Amy Comstock Rick, the president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) and Parkinson's Action Network (PAN) CEO, testified today in Cleveland, Ohio urging the Democratic Platform Committee to consider strong and supportive language in the Party Platform that reverses the current federal limitations that have severely hampered the field of human embryonic stem cell research in this country. Ms. Rick’s testimony is included here.
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Amy Comstock Rick
President, Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR)
Testimony for Democratic Platform Committee, Cleveland, Ohio
August 1, 2008
Good Afternoon, my name is Amy Comstock Rick and I am the President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, also known as CAMR.
We are a broad coalition that represents the voices of patients, physicians, scientists, and academic institutions across the country in the hope that embryonic stem cell research will provide cures and better treatments for those who suffer from debilitating diseases and disorders.
We also have thousands of grassroots members from patient and advocacy organizations in every state in the nation. In addition to my CAMR role, I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Parkinson’s Action Network, the national public policy and patient advocacy organization for the Parkinson’s community. As CAMR’s President, I lead a membership that brings together groups such as the American Association of Universities, the American Society for Cell Biology, many universities, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and many others that have pooled their resources since the advent of the president’s restrictive policy in support of embryonic stem cell research. This broad coalition has worked for seven years to promote ethical, scientific-based regenerative medicine; specifically we support human embryonic stem cell research, we are in favor of therapeutic cloning, and we are firmly opposed to reproductive cloning. For the record, I have attached a list of our diverse coalition’s membership.
Our unifying belief is that embryonic stem cell research holds the key to better treatments and cures for the more than 100 million Americans suffering from cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, ALS, and other diseases and disorders. The American public shares our position. Polls consistently demonstrate that nearly three quarters of the American public, regardless of region, income, or political party affiliation support embryonic stem cell research.
We come to you today, to ask that the Democratic Party include strong and supportive language in the Party Platform that reverses the current limitations that have severely hampered the field of human embryonic stem cell research in this country.
The current limitation on Federal funding for stem cell research that is most damaging to this promising field of research was first established by President Bush on August 9, 2001.[1] On that day, President Bush used his authority as the chief executive to direct that only those stem cell lines that had been derived at of that date and time would be eligible for research using federal funds. At the time, this position was viewed as a workable compromise, in part because it was generally believed that around 70 lines existed. We now know that this policy only allows federal funding for research on fewer than 20 lines and all of these aging lines are contaminated with mouse feeder cells. In addition, the approved lines do not represent the diversity of the US population and have not been particularly useful to science. Simply put, the limitation created by President Bush was an arbitrary date drawn in the sand that was in no way based on science and has since had a quantifiable, negative impact on the progress of research in this country.
America is losing its next generation of researchers and scientists who are choosing other fields of study that are less fraught with controversy and offer a greater chance of continuity. From a patient perspective, I cannot tell you how devastating it can be to learn that a promising field of medical research that could help millions of people is often not viewed by our younger researchers as a wise career choice because of political decisions. More and more articles on embryonic stem cell research are being published by scientists from other countries -- not the United States. And while it is absolutely true that the field has moved forward somewhat thanks to the financial backing of some states, like California and New York, and private foundations, this uncertainty has also allowed some states to enact laws prohibiting many forms of regenerative medicine research within their borders. Without strong federal leadership, we could be facing a country that includes a patchwork of laws that ultimately impedes scientific coordination and, ultimately better treatments and cures. We need our next President to set a tone for progress that will finally turn this nation in the direction that the majority of Americans would choose in support of embryonic stem cell research.
There have been two Congressional attempts to reverse the policy established by President Bush. During the 109th Congress, the House of Representatives passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810) in 2005, followed by Senate passage in July 2006. This bill, if enacted, would have allowed Federal funding for research on stem cell lines derived from embryos created for fertility purposes at in vitro fertilization clinics but that, for whatever personal reasons, were no longer needed by the couple and had been slated for destruction. President Bush bestowed the first veto of his presidency on that bill.
The new leadership of the 110th Congress immediately reintroduced the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 3/S.5) and it ultimately passed both houses in the summer of 2007. President Bush again vetoed the bill, ensuring that the severe, scientifically baseless restriction of Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research remains in place.
There is no other field of research that has a similar disadvantage when competing for Federal funds. On behalf of our members, many of whom are leaders in the scientific research community, we believe that this important research has been subject to politics and misguided limitations for far too long. We are seeking a change with help from the next President.
On behalf of CAMR, I request that this Party and Senator Obama commit to using his executive authority to override President Bush’s restrictive and harmful policy in whatever way will benefit the research and the patients the fastest. It is our specific recommendation that an executive order be issued in the first days of the new administration that removes the current policy. Such an order could be relatively simple, as long as it clearly overturns the policy and calls for a system that ensures that Federal funds are only going to research on stem cell lines that have been derived ethically. Because of the complexity of the issue, we do recommend that such an order also direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health and other consultative bodies such as the National Academies of Science, to establish guidelines for ensuring that only ethically derived stem cell lines are eligible for Federal funding. Once the current limitations are removed and the research can begin to go forward, our coalition would welcome the opportunity to work on new legislation that would support, promote, and protect embryonic stem cell research and regenerative medicine in the United States.
For the new administration to act on this issue quickly and without regard to politics will be an important step that offers hope to the 100 million Americans who suffer from diseases and disorders for which embryonic stem cell research provides great promise. .
I appreciate the opportunity to provide my testimony on behalf of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research and I am happy to answer any questions. Our entire coalition is available to provide technical expertise and more information should you require it. Thank you.
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