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Evans: Government has Obligation to Stem Cell Research
By FRANCESCA JAROSZ
The State Journal-Register
28 August 2005
When Joan Blessington Snyder saw stem cells at a lab at Bradley University in Peoria, her internal debate about using them for research was settled.
Snyder, a resident of Chillicothe, north of Peoria, is pro-life and Catholic. And for 16 years, she's lived with Parkinson's disease.
"Looking into that microscope, I felt the presence of God," Snyder said. "He wasn't telling me I was wrong. He was saying, 'Right on, right on.' I don't know what is more pro-life."
Snyder, founder of Calipso, a Central Illinois Parkinson's advocacy group, and three U.S. representatives explained their support for embryonic stem cell research Saturday at a conference preceding an annual dinner for U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, D-Rock Island, at Springfield's Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Evans, along with Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and Jim Langevin of Rhode Island, said the federal government needs to support use of such cells for medical research.
"As a compassionate nation, we have a real moral obligation to realize the potential of stem cell research, which would extend and improve the quality of life for millions of people," Langevin said.
The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which lifts restrictions on use of stem cells from excess embryos donated for in- vitro fertilization, passed Congress with bipartisan support in late May. Current policy allows federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells only if they were derived before Aug. 9, 2001.
Langevin said he expects the Senate to vote on the legislation within the next two months. He said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's support of the legislation, which he announced late last month, is a positive sign.
"I'm confident that we'll have a victory," Langevin said.
Opponents, including many in the pro-life movement, say adult stem cells offer many of the same research and medical opportunities, without damaging human embryos.
Schakowsky praised Gov. Rod Blagojevich for granting $10 million in state funding for stem cell research, including embryonic stem cells, in July.
For both Langevin and Evans, the battle for stem cells is more than a political one.
Evans has lived with Parkinson's disease for 10 years.
Langevin has been a quadriplegic since he was 16 and involved in a police education program. A professional officer fired a gun that he didn't know was loaded, and the bullet ricocheted, went through Langevin's neck and damaged his spinal chord.
"Because of stem cell research, we are one step closer and, I believe, very close, to curing spinal cord injuries," Langevin said from his wheelchair.
Evans rose to spoke, leaning on a staff member for physical support. He said he's speaking for more than a million Americans who share his disease in order keep the issue of stem cell research alive.
"We ought to continue to make sure it's left out there," Evans said. "We have a golden opportunity now."
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