Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 11th, a very important vote is happening in the Senate that can make a difference in the fight against cancer.
S. 5, a bill with bi-partisan support is being debated today and voted on tomorrow that will remove current restrictions on potentially life-saving research.
S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which has already passed in the House of Representatives, will undoubtedly pass in the Senate, just as it did in 2006. The bill needs 67 votes to be veto-proof, meaning, if the President vetoes the legislation as he has done in the past, there will be enough votes to override his veto. It is expected that at least 66 Senators will vote in support. Will your Senators be among them?
Call today to urge them to support S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. If you live in California, here are the numbers:
- Senator Boxer at (202) 224-3553
- Senator Feinstein at (202) 224-3841
Tell them:
- You are a colorectal cancer advocate and a constituent.
- You urge the Senator to Vote YES on S. 5. (Be very clear to state your support for S. 5, as there is another stem cell bill being voted on that would further limit stem cell research.)
Why is stem cell research important to people living with cancer?
Currently, federal funding for research involving human embryonic stem (ES) cells is limited to research involving those cell lines that were approved by the Bush Administration in August 2001, and scientists receiving federal funds are not allowed to generate additional human ES cell lines. Based on what scientists have learned by studying ES cells in mice, these limits make it unlikely that data obtained with this set of “approved” cell lines can show much benefit to the whole human population. Further, the development of efficient methods to generate new cell lines will likely be necessary if ES cells are to yield successful therapies.
Research on human ES cells has great potential for people living with neurological, degenerative and genetic diseases --but it’s the recent findings on cancer that make us the most hopeful.
Scientists have recently learned that the mechanisms that control cell division and differentiation in ES cells are likely to also regulate cancer stem cells, which means that cancer patients stand to benefit greatly from progress in ES cell research. Unfortunately, this type of research is currently being stymied at the leading research facility in the country: the National Institutes of Health.
Please contact your Senator right away, before the vote happens tomorrow. You can make a difference and help science find a cure for colorectal and other cancers.
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