|
Hypocrisy Over Stem Cells: Senate Dems Object To Cord Blood Bill
U.S. Newswire
15 December 2005
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, Senator Frist called on the Senate to pass the bi-partisan life-saving cord blood stem cell bill, (HR 2520) sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith. The House bill, Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, already passed in May by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 431- 1. Incredibly, Senate Democrats objected to passing this bill.
Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, released the following statement:
"By objecting to passage of the cord blood bill, Democrats are holding the bill as political hostage in order to get a vote on the bill to fund unsuccessful and ethically challenged embryonic stem cell research, which has not treated a single person. While Democrats repeatedly accuse Republicans of putting politics before science, in truth, Senate Democrats are the ones who are playing politics with stem cells and with patients' lives.
"The members of the Congressional Black Caucus who have actively supported this bill should be particularly outraged because cord blood stem cells have treated sickle cell anemia, a condition that largely affects the African American community.
"The hypocrisy of Senate Democrats is stunning and their obstruction of the cord blood bill does a disservice to the American people. They should stop playing politics with peoples' lives."
Studies continue to show, cord blood stem cells have also effectively treated a variety of diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplasia, severe aplastic anemia, genetic diseases of the blood and immune system as well as certain genetic metabolic diseases like adrenoleukodystrophy ("Lorenzo's oil disease"), as well as Krabbe disease and Hurler's disease, genetic neurological diseases that kill infants by the age of 2.
http://www.usnewswire.com
|
