Time to Pass Stem Cell Legislation
Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports in the New York Times that Democratic candidates across the country are preparing campaign strategies which highlight their support for embryonic stem-cell research. The issue has “cropped up in Senate races in Maryland and Missouri, and in House races in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin, especially in suburban swing districts,” writes Stolberg.
The article highlights Missouri, where a constitutional amendment governing state funding of stem-cell research will be on the ballot this fall. Dem Senate candidate Claire McCaskill has been making political hay of her opponent’s refusal to take a position on the amendment; Senator Jim Talent has thus far avoided stating his views on the matter, partly to avoid the wrath of (some) evangelical Christian groups which have threatened to sit out Election Day if Talent comes out in support of the amendment. Meanwhile the proposal is backed by Missouri’s governor (Matt Blunt) as well as prominent centrist and former senator Jack Danforth, a minister.
With the anniversary of House passage of the Castle-DeGette bill approaching (one month from today, in fact), it is a good time for a reminder that the Senate must still act on this vital piece of legislation. It has the support of a majority of senators (likely more than the 60 needed to break a near-certain filibuster), and it deserves a debate and a vote. Of course Bill Frist, who supports the Specter-Harkin bill in the Senate, will continue to do everything in his power to keep the bill from the floor so he doesn’t have to cast his vote in favor of it and rile up the right wing … it’s going to take some major pressure on him to get this bill scheduled. But it must be done.
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4 Responses to “Time to Pass Stem Cell Legislation”
Just an update to this, from the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures folks:
“Our Initiative does not require the state, local governments or Missouri taxpayers to fund any stem cell research.
The Missouri Stem Cell Initiative basically does three things: It protects the right of Missouri patients to have their diseases and injuries treated with any stem cell cures that are allowed by federal law and available to other Americans; it ensures that Missouri medical institutions can provide and help find new stem cell cures; and it establishes clear ethical boundaries and oversight requirements for stem cell research conducted in Missouri – including a strict ban on any attempt to clone a human being.
We are fighting to protect patient access to cures because some state politicians have repeatedly tried to pass Missouri laws that would ban and criminalize some of the most promising types of stem cell research in our state – and actually prohibit Missouri patients from having access to future stem cell cures. The Initiative is needed to prevent any such unfair bans.”
Their website is http://www.missouricures.com
“”Our Initiative does not require the state, local governments or Missouri taxpayers to fund any stem cell research.”
Perfect. Not sarcastically as I usually am, but really is this is something I could really get behind.
“It protects the right of Missouri patients to have their diseases and injuries treated with any stem cell cures that are allowed by federal law and available to other Americans”
Right, this means whatever the feds have ok’d is ok with Missouri, which means little to nothing, since Bush only ok’d 21 stem cell lines all of which are useless.
And while this is going on Korea, and Japan are moving forwards, and we move backwards and lose another technological edge we could have had.
Actually, he didn’t outlaw all other stem cell lines. He just refused federal funding of all other lines. They can still be legally developed if they are done so through private, state or local funding. As far as I know, there is no federal law against any lines, just a lack of funding for the most promising, as you say all but the useless, lines.