On July 18, the United States Senate passed the “The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act” (HR 810) by a vote of 63 to 37. This was a great victory for stem cell research advocacy, but, unfortunately, President Bush vetoed this vitally important bill the following day. HR 810 would expand federal support for embryonic stem cell research, while also establishing strict ethical requirements for this research. Current federal policy is preventing biomedical researchers from exploring the great potential of stem cells. This includes the potential to greatly accelerate progress toward curing paralysis and preventing the secondary conditions of spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) such as pressure sores.

While we are disappointed with the President’s veto of HR 810, we are excited about the tremendous progress we have made on this issue. Thanks to the hard work of advocates nationwide, we convinced the United States Senate and the House of Representatives to each pass HR 810 with bipartisan support and by a strong majority. We must build upon this success by continuing our campaign until we convince the federal government to expand support for stem cell research. We will post information on our Web site in the future to let you know how you can help.

Please contact Dan Anderson, United Spinal Association, at 718-803-3782, ext. 1294, with any questions. Thank you for your advocacy!