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Hadassah Lobbies State for Stem Cell Funds, Hope ; Members of the Jewish Service Organization's Local Chapter meet with Legislators in Raleigh.
NANCY H. MCLAUGHLIN Staff Writer
Greensboro News & Record
02 March 2005
GREENSBORO
Researchers say embryonic stem cell research offers hope for Michael Jacobson, whose Parkinson's disease sometimes makes it difficult simply to brush his teeth.
Mandy Lerner doesn't like the idea of throwing away the remaining frozen embryonic cells left over after in vitro fertilization six years ago. But with no stem cell research funding in North Carolina, that's one of her only options here.
"I think we need to give our scientists and our doctors everything we can so they ... can fight disease," said Lerner, who recently found a research clinic in Boston to take the frozen embryos.
Stem cell research, an effort to target the causes of disease rather than treating the symptoms, is one of the issues driving Jacobson and Lerner, both members of the Greensboro chapter of Hadassah, to Raleigh today. They and two other members, Wendee Cutler and Linda Fleishman, will lobby members of the local legislative delegation to direct tax money for research.
Hadassah, a Jewish service and educational organization, is working with local chapters on a lobbying effort in every state, called "Date with the State."
"I don't like to refer to my cells as embryos because I do think people get the wrong idea," Lerner said. "They're simply cells which are probably not viable and instead of putting them in the wastebasket, which I feel the government would prefer I do, why not use them for something that can truly help hundreds of thousands of people?"
National Hadassah board member Barbara Teichman of Greensboro said, "They put a human face on the kinds of things we're concerned about in advocating for stem cell research dollars."
"I want to feel like I've done everything I can," Lerner said. "I want my voice to be heard."
According to researchers, stem cells derived from embryos hold promise in fighting the ravaging effects of diseases such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes, as they may develop into virtually every type of cell in the human body.
"In principle, they have the promise of an organ transplant or the possibility of restoring damaged tissue," said Jacobson, who has an undergraduate degree from Yale University, a doctorate in chemistry and an MBA from New York University.
"When I was diagnosed, I was the sole provider for our family and I had to stop work, and now my wife's gone to work and I've stayed home with our son - managing the house and him, and sometimes not very well."
Because it remains a divisive political issue, most stem cell research funding is private. California recently passed a proposition pouring $3 billion into embryonic stem cell research. It is one of the few states to allocate money in the area.
After several operations, including having pacemaker-like devices inserted into his chest to exercise control over movement, Jacobson has better mobility, but he is unsure of the long-range effects.
The group has appointments with half a dozen legislators, including Mary Jeffus and Kay Hagan, to talk about a variety of other issues, including protecting women's reproductive rights, free exercise of religion and support for legislation that condemns violence against women and protects victims of domestic violence.
"We at least want to plant seeds for the things we are concerned about," Teichman said. "We are wives, mothers, teachers, doctors, soccer moms ... We are involved in everyday life. We feel that we just don't sit back and wait to see what happens. We like to think we take the initiative.
"In this complicated, unpredictable world, Hadassah chooses to find avenues for hope where today's 'victims' are confronted by overwhelming physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realities. We see the complexity that surrounds all of these issues and offer our assistance, as volunteers, for the pursuit of that word - hope."
Contact Nancy H. McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nmclaughlin@news- record.com
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