For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Contact: Sean Tipton, 202-863-2494 or 202-421-5112, stipton@asrm-dc.org
Julie Kimbrough, 203-438-8211, or 646-734-6091, juliekimbrough@earthlink.net
Dan Drummond, 202-585-2591 or 202-243-8621, ddrummond@webershandwick.com
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research Says Passage of H.R. 810 Critical for Patients and Science
Alternative Means of Deriving Stem Cells from Embryos is Unproven And Could Delay Or Set Back Benefits of Research WASHINGTON, July 13 – Senate passage of H.R. 810 would be the surest way to bring the humanitarian benefits of stem cell research to millions of Americans suffering from diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and many other serious illnesses, a non-profit coalition of 95 patient groups, medical organizations, and academic medical centers said today.
Daniel Perry, President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), attended a press conference with actor Michael J. Fox, Senators Orrin Hatch, Arlen Specter, Tom Harkin, Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Michael Castle and Diana DeGette, calling on the Senate to pass H.R. 810.
“Legislation suggested by some as alternatives to the House-passed bill only delays bringing hope to millions of Americans,” Perry said. “We need a national lifting of the cloud of politics that currently hangs over embryonic stem cell research. Senate passage of H.R. 810 would lift that cloud and ensure critical federally-funded research can continue.”
The legislation, passed 238-194 by the House of Representatives on May 24, would allow federally-supported scientists to study additional stem cell lines, expand research among America’s top academic researchers and accelerate the cure and treatment of diseases that affect up to 100 million Americans. H.R. 810 expands Federal research of additional stem cell lines from voluntarily donated in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos.
Opponents of H.R. 810 are promoting alternative means of deriving stem cell lines from excess IVF embryos, but because the alternatives have yet to be proven they cannot be considered substitutes for embryonic stem cells.
“Why would you want to bet on these kind of things today at the expense of embryonic stem cell research, which we know works? The science behind these alternative methods is uncertain and this point, and none of the methods has proven successful thus far,” Perry said. “These approaches are a catch-all bag of speculation, unpublished science, wishful thinking and philosophical pretzel-bending."
The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) is the nation's leading pro-cures coalition. It is comprised of nationally-recognized patient organizations, universities, scientific societies, and foundations advocating for the advancement of breakthrough research and technologies in regenerative medicine - including stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer - in order to cure disease and alleviate suffering for individuals with life-threatening illnesses and disorders.
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