From: Russell Blackford (rblackford@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Aug 01 2001 - 17:02:14 MDT
Nathan Woods Currier said
>Email this to president@whitehouse.gov, call the White House switchboard
>at 202-456-1414, or mail a letter to:
>
>President George W. Bush
>The White House
>1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
>Washington, DC 20500
>
>Letters probably have the most effect (assuming that he doesn't make his
>decision before the letters arrive).
>
>
>Dear Mr. President,
>
> I urge you to support the use of federal funds for embryonic stem
>cell research. Fertility clinics destroy many embryos that could
>otherwise be used for stem cells. Also, there are embryonic stem cell
>cultures already growing; researchers could experiment with samples from
>these instead of using fresh embryos.
> Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile type of cell- even
>more versatile than adult stem cells. They have the potential for
>treating degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. It might also be
>possible to transfer the nuclei of adult cells into embryonic stem cells
>and create young, healthy transplant organs with the same DNA as the
>recipient. This would NOT be cloning, but it would be an excellent
>solution to the deadly problems of transplant waits and rejection of
>organs by the immune system.
> Many wonderful life-saving treatments could come from embryonic
>stem cell research, all without destroying a single additional embryo. To
>continue throttling this research would be short-sighted, irresponsible,
>and ultimately fatal for many Americans. The deadly effects of slowed
>research might also spread to other biotech fields. A hostile,
>over-reaching government is very effective at stifling scientific
>creativity and driving business to foreign countries. If the research
>community feels threatened by the government, the results will be
>disastrous. Even if one considers an embryo to be a human life, it
>is still obvious that stem cell research will save lives overall. Please
>consider these practical arguments instead of allowing more lives to be
>lost for the sake of ideology.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Nathan Currier
>(nwc@physics.ucsb.edu)
No, don't send Nathan's letter. Politician and bureaucrats hate "form"
letters and will discount them. It's better if a smaller number of people
(not me, since I am not American) write their own letters, perhaps just
drawing on Nathan's for ideas.
Russell
>
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