Below is a letter that I wrote yesterday after the Senate passed the Stem Cell Bill. I wrote it quickly based on the data as I understood it and sent it to everyone on my email list.
Then I thought 'Hey, I know a lot more other people too - Kossacks'. So I am 'sending' it to you too.
We won't be able to change Bush's mind. I sent it to a lot of people who supported him because I want them to know how their support of this monster is having a direct impact on the people they supposedly love and care about.
My Letter:
I am writing you today about a political issue that directly affects my family. I have a request also. First a disclaimer though. While I have investigated this topic, I am no doctor or scientist, just a guy trying to help those closest to him. The basic science I talk about below is accurate as far as I understand it. I have tried to link to specific articles where more info is available. If any info is not accurate, it is entirely my fault but was not done to mislead.
Many of you know that I have two young daughters: Mackenzie will be 8 next month and Anika is 5. Both of my daughters have Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is a life-shortening illness and currently the mean life expectancy is 37. They spend 1-2 hrs a day in physical therapy and take about 10 prescription drugs each day (including 3-5 large capsules before every meal/snack).
Mackenzie also has a gastronomy tube which we use to hook her up to a pump almost every night so that she can be fed a high-nutrient, high calorie formula directly into her stomach (through a port in her stomach wall). Anika is going in for surgery in August to get one also.
I just tell you this so you get a sense of what these two beautiful and courageous girls go through every day. If you want to learn more about CF, here is the CF Foundations website: www.cff.org
Stem Cell Research could have profound impact on the life of my girls. At a minimum it gives us much hope (and believe me hope is a very powerful motivator to us caregivers on days when we are very tired and the girls are complaining about doing therapy instead of playing with their friends). Stem Cell Research is already being done in other countries and in areas that could benefit kids with CF. The USA is falling quickly behind.
Most CF patients die when their lungs become so degraded that they can no longer breathe enough air to live. Embryonic stem cells could be used to grow new lungs that do not have CF. You see, embryonic stem cells are the cells that are created within a week of an egg being fertilized. The cells then turn themselves into every organ of the body, even the lungs and pancreas (another organ that is destroyed by CF). Adult stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells are already too specialized to do this. The thinking is that embryonic stem cells could be `programmed' to grow into a specific organ (or body part, like a spine) that could be used by the person with a bad one. Implanting stem cells could even repair a badly damaged lung. Some of this is already being researched with success in the UK. Here is a link from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
Yesterday, the Senate passed a bill regarding Stem Cell Research. It was already passed by the House: HR 810. HR 810 will allow scientists to use embryonic stem cells that are donated by couples using fertility clinics. They would sign waivers and receive no money for the embryos. Here is the short text of the bill...
http://thomas.loc.gov/...
It is estimated that there are about 400,000 embryos in fertility clinics that are frozen and just waiting to be destroyed. These embryos will NOT be turned into babies. Fertility clinics, who do a wonderful service to couples who can't have children any other way, must create many more embryos than they need in order to be able to produce a baby for a couple. The rest are simply frozen to be discarded at a later date.
Based on a Presidential Order that was one of George W Bush's first acts in office, no scientist can receive Federal funding if he/she uses these embryos. The cost of this research is such that federal funding is crucial; it is too large to be privately funded. This bill basically overrides that Presidential Order.
Bush has promised a veto and is expected to do so on Weds, July 19. He talks about the culture of life. What about the culture of my daughters' lives. He doesn't seem to care about them (since they are born, I guess). Of course, if we wanted to remove their feeding tube because they were brain dead, he would again care about them. Why doesn't he care about those between the age of 1 minute old and 1 minute left to live?
Many, many Republicans and almost all the Democrats supported and voted Yes on this bill. 63 Senators and 238 House members voted Yes, unfortunately just short of the number needed to override a veto. Nancy Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger have both spoken out for the bill. In recent polls, Americans favored this bill by 70%.
This is not a Republican/Democrat issue. It is an issue that pits those who care about living human beings vs. those who care only about 1 week old embryos that will never become human beings.
It is easy to care about the frozen embryos unless someone you love (or even just know) has Cystic Fibrosis, Alzheimer's (as my grandfather died from), Parkinson's Disease (as my other grandfather suffered with for years), Juvenile Diabetes (as my nephew has), or a host of other diseases or ailments that might be cured by this research. Here is a short list (I have seen longer ones) of conditions that could eventually be cured or greatly impacted by this research:
http://www.curesforcalifornia.com/...
There is not much that can be done now, but there is a chance to make our voices heard. Bush seems firm in his threat to veto the will of the American people, dash hope, and let the suffering continue.
Here are the official email and phone numbers for the White House. Email and Call your support for HR 810 - The Stem Cell Bill. Bush plans to veto the bill on Weds, July 19, so there is little time left. My family, and so many others, needs your support. PLEASE HELP!!!
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov.
Phone: 202-456-1111 (Opens at 9am Eastern)
Fax: 202-456-2461
Thank you and God Bless You!!!