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PAN Expresses Disappointment in President's Veto of Stem Cell Bill |
PAN has expressed its disappointment in President Bush’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S.5), legislation that would have eased restrictions on federally-funded embryonic stem cell research. A similar bill was vetoed in July of 2006.
“Signing S.5 into law would have been the right thing for the President to do,” said PAN CEO Amy Comstock Rick. “Scientists have come a long way over the years in finding a possible cure for Parkinson’s disease. Being able to conduct further research, using embryonic ethically- derived human stem cells, would accelerate this process greatly. The Parkinson’s community is upset and frustrated by his decision.”
Beyond Parkinson’s, furthering research on stem cells could also positively affect more than 100 million Americans that suffer from cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, ALS, and other debilitating diseases and disorders.
The bill was sent to the President on June 12, after it was approved by the House in a bipartisan vote of 247-176, with 10 members not voting and two House seats vacant.
Following House passage, PAN sent a petition to the President with the strength of over 850 signatures from members of the Parkinson’s community, urging him to sign the bill into law. People living with Parkinson’s disease and their loved ones collected more than one hundred signatures a day in a show of support for this hopeful, ethical research. The petition expressed the sentiment shared by the entire Parkinson’s community that the enactment of this bill will go a long way towards hastening the development of breakthrough therapies and ultimately finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
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