News Briefs: Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill Again; Robotic Leg Program at Sister Kenny Institute; Panel Faults Outdated US Policies for Problems for Many Persons with Disabilities
Irmo Marini, PhD
Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill Again
For the second time in two years, the U.S. Senate passed S5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would lift the ban on federally funded stem cell research. President Bush vetoed the bill in 2006 after it had passed both Houses of Congress by wide margins and, despite the Senate passing it again this spring, the President vetoed it for a second time on June 20, infuriating scientists and disability groups. Senator Hillary Clinton and others immediately accused the President of placing his moral beliefs ahead of science and the needs of millions with disabilities who may benefit from the research.
Although the President maintained his position of not sacrificing human embryos for research cures, he did sign a second executive order to continue “ethically responsible” research in other federally funded research with stem cells such as embryonic fluid and mice stem cells. However, the American Fertility Association which represents the 40,000 individuals who have created the more than 400,000 frozen human embryos, has issued a statement urging Congress to override the President’s veto stating, “Our members have suffered greatly––psychologically, emotionally, physically, socially and financially––to produce the embryos. In large measure, and for a variety of reasons, the hundreds of thousands of embryos banked in liquid nitrogen will not be used for family building purposes. For many couples who wrestle with the embryo disposition dilemma, donating them to research is a life-affirming choice that allows for closure.” Indeed, in a study just released by Duke University Medical Center and John Hopkins University found that 60% of the 1,000 fertility donors surveyed indicated they would likely donate surplus embryos for stem cell research as opposed to seeing them discarded.
Last year, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association joined members of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research as co-signers of a letter supporting passage of H. R. 810. The bill would have amended the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells. Provisions would include that: the embryos have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics; were created for the purposes of fertility treatment; were in excess of the needs of individuals seeking such treatment and would never be implanted to a woman and therefore discarded; and, were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial inducements.
Since President Bush’s original Executive Order restricting funding to 62 lines of stem cells, these have steadily declined and there are reportedly only 10 lines that can continue to be used. For more information, contact the National Spinal Cord Injury Association’s website at www.spinalcord.org.
Robotic Leg Program at Sister Kenny Institute
Therapists at Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis have been using locomotion therapy to help patients relearn how to walk after strokes and partial spinal cord injuries. The Lokomat System combines robotic legs, a treadmill, and a high-powered computer with synchronized drives to actively move patients’ legs on a treadmill similar to an otherwise normal gait. Locomotion therapy is not new but became well-known several years ago when Christopher Reeves appeared to be making progress by gaining back leg strength and mobility under the direction of Dr. John McDonald.
Dr. McDonald has since patented his locomotion therapy walking system. In the past, locomotion therapy was initiated by physical therapists who manually moved patients’ legs by hand. The new computerized process instead involves inserting patients’ legs into robotic legs attached to the synchronized gears and treadmill. The machine’s computer provides biofeedback regarding leg force and hip and knee joint movements. According to researcher Tim Bowman, the therapy allows patients to reduce stiffness, improve force and regain a range of motion that can help them relearn to walk.
Panel Faults Outdated US Policies for Problems for Many Persons with Disabilities
Alan Jette, director of Boston University’s Health and Disability Research’s Institute of Medicine panel blamed outdated US policies for keeping many Americans with disabilities from getting the help they need. Jette wrote, “Society must do more now before a crisis is upon us… far too little progress has been made in the last two decades to prepare for the aging of the baby boom generation and to remedy obstacles that limit what too many people with physical and cognitive impairments can achieve.”
The report explored a wide range of issues including building and community accessibility, policy gaps and limitations in health insurance coverage and payment obstacles for equipment such as wheelchairs and scooters. The group further cited that younger and middle-aged people face increasing risk for disability due to sedentary lifestyles leading to obesity and Type II diabetes.
The 14 member panel also drew attention to the thousands of US soldiers with disabilities returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that their plight and the inadequacy of currently available services would bring even greater national attention to Americans with disabilities. Archaic Medicare and Medicaid policies requiring persons with physical disabilities to be prisoners in their own home before qualifying for certain services need to be immediately addressed. The panel also urged Congress to eliminate the two-year waiting period for Medicare eligibility for people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, since the majority of them need coverage urgently.
The Institute of Medicine provides advice on health issues to US policymakers, and had previously produced reports regarding disability issues in 1991 and 1997.