As contradictory state laws proliferate and California’s program becomes mired in the courts, the U.S. Senate must act to forge a federal stem cell policy solution.
By Dan Anderson
The push is back on for the United States Senate to pass The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 (H.R. 810), which would increase federal spending for embryonic stem cell research. This bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed with bipartisan support more than one year ago, has been stalled in the Senate ever since. Although Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist endorsed expanded federal support for embryonic stem cell research last summer, he has not yet brought the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
United Spinal and patient advocacy groups nationwide have been working to change this. The highlight of this grassroots effort was on May 24, 2006, the one-year anniversary of the House passage of the bill. Advocates and organizations throughout the country marked the day by writing to their senators, sending out press releases, writing letters to the editors of local newspapers, and organizing events, including a rally outside the Senate.
In response, Sen. Frist announced that he is working to bring stem cell legislation to the Senate floor for a vote this summer. He said that H.R. 810 would be one approach considered by the Senate, but he left open the possibility that other approaches could be voted on as well.
If the Senate does pass H.R. 810, President Bush has said he would veto the bill. If that happens, both the Senate and the House would need a two-thirds majority vote to override the President’s veto.
Stem Cell Research and SCI/D
For United Spinal members and the approximately 700,000 people in the United States who have spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), stem cell research provides hope for a better life. Tightly regulated embryonic stem cell research has the potential to significantly accelerate progress toward curing paralysis and preventing the secondary complications of SCI/D such as pressure sores. This research also has the potential to reduce the staggering health costs associated with SCI/D-estimated at more than $10 billion annually.
Stem cells are the building block cells that can develop into any tissue type. Every single cell in the body “stems” from this type of cell—hence the name “stem cell.” By studying stem cells, scientists will be able to learn more about how and why healthy cells replace diseased cells in living beings. Scientists hope that by growing stem cells in laboratories they can generate specific tissues, such as nerve tissue, which could be transplanted into a person with SCI/D to help repair damaged and diseased tissue.
United Spinal strongly believes that embryonic stem cell research should progress in accordance with strict ethical standards such as those proposed in H.R. 810. The bill states that the stem cells must be “derived from human embryos that have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment.” Further, the bill requires that the embryos used “would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded.”
Enactment of this bill is critical because current federal policy is preventing biomedical researchers from exploring the great potential of stem cells. The federal government will only fund embryonic stem cell research using stem cells that existed on August 9, 2001. Only a very small number of stem cells are available for federal funding, and these stem cells are deteriorating and don’t meet the needs of researchers who are searching for new therapies and cures.
State Action
Due to the lack of federal support, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and Maryland have authorized the use of state funds to support stem cell research. These efforts, though, have only provided a miniscule amount of funding—certainly nowhere close to the amount needed for meaningful research progress to occur.
The California initiative, approved by voters in November 2004, was a novel $3 billion stem cell bond program that many analysts thought would become the driving force behind stem cell policy in this country. They believed that the initiative would attract researchers and biotech companies to California, and compel other states to respond by passing their own large-scale funding plans. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened. The California initiative has been stalled by lawsuits, which has made other states cautious states about pursuing funding initiatives. A handful of other states have tried to achieve significant funding plans, but none has succeeded.
Of even greater concern is that states have jumped in with their own far-ranging and often opposing policies to regulate stem cell research. In 2005, more than 180 stem cell bills were introduced in state legislatures throughout the country. Some bills would promote stem cell research, others would criminalize it. This piecemeal, state-by-state approach is no way to achieve progress in an area of science that has the potential to benefit millions of Americans.
Americans with SCI/D, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and other devastating diseases and ailments deserve to know that the federal government is supporting research with the greatest potential to improve their lives. Our nation needs a new federal policy that will establish appropriate ethical standards for stem cell research to flourish. The U.S. House of Representatives did its part to make this happen when it passed H.R. 810. We need the Senate to follow suit and pass this legislation now.
Action Needed
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• Please call or write your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote for H.R. 810, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Please explain why stem cell research is important to you. If you need help identifying your U.S. Senators, or if you have questions, please contact me at 800-4042989, ext. 294, or at danderson@unitedspinal.org.
Dan Anderson is legislative director.
