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Democrats to Host Stem-Cell Rountable
Scott S. Greenberger
The Boston Globe
02 June 2005
Hoping to use this week's stem-cell triumph on Beacon Hill to generate momentum on Capitol Hill, US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and state Democratic legislative leaders will host an event at a Cambridge biomedical firm today that will highlight the potential benefits of the research.
Kennedy, Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi also are expected to criticize Governor Mitt Romney for opposing the Massachusetts measure.
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts House and Senate overrode Romney's veto and approved a measure promoting embryonic stem-cell research in the Bay State. Last week, the US House voted to allow the use of federal money for stem-cell research using surplus embryos from fertility clinics, but the proposal is stalled in the US Senate, where Majority Leader Bill Frist has yet to schedule a vote. President Bush has pledged to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
Today's roundtable discussion at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge will feature leading researchers and patients with illnesses that someday might be treated using stem cells.
"This success in Massachusetts should put President Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress on notice the American people are saying loud and clear that they want federal stem-cell research," Kennedy said yesterday.
"I convened this meeting because I want to hear firsthand from those in Massachusetts who will benefit directly from the new law. The experiences and hope this brings to Massachusetts patients, researchers, and employers will help me as I fight on the floor of the Senate for federal funding," Kennedy said.
Lawrence Soler, who lobbies for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Washington, said the approval of stem-cell measures in Massachusetts and other states is helping build momentum for action in Congress.
"I do think that the passage of some of the state bills and progress in states like Massachusetts and Connecticut was and is helpful to the debate at the federal level," Soler said. "The more that people understand the basics about this issue, the more comfortable they are with supporting it."
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