Helping Miracles to Happen

A headline from today's NYT in our news sidebar, Senate Poised to Pass Embryonic Stem Cell Bill, is worthy of our immediate attention. This bill, HR 810 (the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act), would authorize federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, and open the way for medical miracles to be made available to millions of people suffering from any number of conditions and diseases, from AIDS to Alzheimer's.

The Progress Report this morning had a piece on the bill (Miracles Happen) and its chances of passage (pretty good, all things considered, thanks to support from Dr. Frist), and its chances of a presidential veto if it does pass (also, unfortunately, pretty damn good, as our holier-than-thou president feels that this practice "forces a choice between science and ethics").

The Alliance for Stem Cell Research is asking that you call your senators and ask them to vote for this bill (be sure you use the number and the exact name, there are two other red herring bills in the mix that will not authorize the needed funding, one sponsored by Rick Santorum, the other by Sam Brownback) :

Before the end of the day on Monday, July 17th, reach out to your Senators. Call them, fax them or drop by their office for a visit. Let them know how important their support of HR 810 is to you and to millions of Americans and their families. Remind them that only a YES vote for HR 810 is pro-research, pro-patient and pro-cures.

It is critical that we reach out to every member of the Senate to show how strong the support for this bill is. So please, in addition to contacting your own Senators, forward this request to everyone you know, regardless ofwhere they live, and ask them to do the same.

If you live in Kansas or Pennsylvania, homes of Brownback and Santorum, respectively, you really really need to call and urge a yes vote for this bill. But even if you live in the Socialist Republic of Massachusetts (as it was referred to in the years I lived there), call and show your support for HR 810. Think of it this way: the T-cells you save may someday be your own.

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