The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) sent a petition to President Bush on Thursday, urging the President not to veto legislation to ease restrictions on federally-funded embryonic stem cell research (S.5), but instead sign the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act into law.
The petition comes to the President with the strength of over 700 signatures from members of the Parkinson’s community. 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. These signers all know 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.
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.
This is the second straight year that this bill has been sent to Bush. It was vetoed in July of last year.
PAN’s petition was sent to the President on Thursday, immediately after the House approved the bill by a bipartisan vote of 247-176, with 10 members not voting. It was then signed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid in a ceremony that was attended by several PAN advocates. The President is expected to either pass or veto the bill within the next week.
“Day after day, I am continually inspired by the ceaseless energy of PAN advocates,” said PAN Director of Government Relations Mary Richards. "After spending their energy overcoming the challenges of this currently incurable illness, thousands of people with Parkinson’s disease find the time to petition their government in the hope of providing a better future for patients of today and tomorrow. The Parkinson’s community continues to make a real difference in this debate. We implore the President to heed the will of the Parkinson’s community and the majority of Americans by making the right choice – signing the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act into law.”
“We would also like to thank the House of Representatives and our congressional champions for passing this bill and sending it to the President for his signature once again.”
PAN applauds the House of Representatives’ strong bipartisan passage of S.5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act on Thursday. The House passed similar legislation in January of this year.
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