As far as I am concerned, Ms. DeGette knows little of what is going on in the stem cell industry. She refuses to answer any of my inquiries as to why she is not supportive of anything but Bush bashing. President Bush did not restrict research on embryonic stem cells. She is grandstanding and making this a political issue when we need it to be a scientific one. This is taken from the Wikipedia site:
In 1998, privately funded research led to the breakthrough discovery of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC). This prompted the Clinton Administration to re-examine guidelines for federal funding of embryonic research. In 1999, the president's National Bioethics Advisory Commission recommended that hESC harvested from embryos discarded after in vitro fertility treatments, but not from embryos created expressly for experimentation, be eligible for federal funding. Even though embryos are always destroyed in the process of harvesting hESC, the Clinton Administration decided that it would be permissible under the Dickey Amendment to fund hESC research as long as such research did not itself directly cause the destruction of an embryo. Therefore, HHS issued its proposed regulation concerning hESC funding in 2001. Enactment of the new guidelines was delayed by the incoming George W. Bush administration which decided to reconsider the issue.
President Bush announced, on August 9, 2001 that federal funds, for the first time, would be made available for hESC research on currently existing embryonic stem cell lines. President Bush authorized research on existing human embryonic stem cell lines, not on human embryos under a specific, unrealistic timeline in which the stem cell lines must have been developed. However, the Bush Administration chose not to permit taxpayer funding for research on hESC cell lines not currently in existence, thus limiting federal funding to research in which "the life-and-death decision has already been made".[34] The Bush Administration's guidelines differ from the Clinton Administration guidelines which did not distinguish between currently existing and not-yet-existing hESC. Both the Bush and Clinton guidelines agree that the federal government should not fund hESC research that directly destroys embryos.
Neither Congress nor any administration has ever prohibited private funding of embryonic research. Public and private funding of research on adult and cord blood stem cells is unrestricted.[35]
As you will see, it does not resemble what Ms. DeGette is telling us. She also has ignored the potential of adult stem cell therapy while focusing so intently on embryonic stem cell research. It is my opinion that this is all about politics and not our health. I am not supportive of President Bush's hindrance nor of Obama not really doing much either, but we need to have facts, not political mud slinging. She wrote a book that is also one big bash. Below is the article and press release about this issue.
Posted by Jef Akst, "TheScientist.com"
10th March 2010
US President Barack Obama's 2009 executive order to allow the federal funding of research using new human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines may become law.
Yesterday (March 9), on the one-year anniversary of Obama's announcement, members of Congress Diana DeGette of Colorado and Mike Castle of Delaware reintroduced the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act to "ensure a lasting ethical framework" for such research. DeGette and Castle were the lead sponsors of the bill when it was introduced during the tenure of former President George W. Bush, who vetoed it twice.
The legislation would codify Obama's executive order, which overturned the limitations implemented by Bush, and made it possible for scientists to use federal funds to study hESCs derived after August 9, 2001. So far, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have approved a total of 43 lines, more than double the lines available for distribution during the Bush administration.
The new bill builds on the NIH guidelines introduced last summer for approving hESC lines for federal fudning, and requires that the NIH review and update the guidelines at least every three years, as well as submit a biennial report to Congress on the research.
"Congress must still enact legislation so that both scientists and individuals who stand to benefit from the promise of this research will have some stability backing their quest for life-changing cures," DeGette said in a statement.
Press Release:
CASTLE AND DEGETTE TO INTRODUCE STEM CELL RESEARCH BILL ON ANNIVERSARY OF PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER
Creates Lasting Ethical Framework for all Human Stem Cell Research
Washington | March 9, 2010 - U.S. Reps. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, both chief architects of legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the current policy at the NIH under President Obama's Executive Order, today will introduce bipartisan stem cell research legislation ? the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act?to ensure a lasting ethical framework overseeing stem cell research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
?I continue to share in the view of so many scientists that stem cell research holds great promise for alleviating the suffering of the 100 million American patients living with devastating diseases for which there are no good treatments or cures," said Rep. Castle. "The President's Executive Order lifted restrictions that allowed important research to move forward, but Congress must act to ensure that an over-arching ethical framework is signed into law. Congresswoman DeGette and I will work to advance bipartisan, bicameral consensus for passing this important complementary legislation.?
?I am grateful that one year ago today, President Barack Obama asserted U.S. leadership in stem cell research by lifting President George W. Bush?s ban on embryonic stem cell research,? said Rep. DeGette. ?But Congress must still enact legislation so that both scientists and individuals who stand to benefit from the promise of this research will have some stability backing their quest for life-changing cures. Since the President?s Executive Order establishing a guidelines process for ethical human stem cell research, the NIH has approved 43 stem cell lines eligible for federal funding. I am committed to codifying the process set out in the President?s Executive Order and ensuring that stem cell lines such as these remain eligible as we look to the future.?
The Stem Cell Research Advancement Act builds on President Barack Obama's Executive Order overturning former President Bush?s restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Several years have passed since H.R. 810 / H.R. 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was initially written, passed, and twice vetoed. During that time, the field of human stem cell research has progressed steadily. Just as President Barack Obama did on March 9, 2009, through the issuance of Executive Order 13505 ?Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells?, Congress must do its job to promote the full potential for stem cell therapies by establishing a lasting framework for National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership and research in this area.
To ensure it is current with the ever-expanding field of stem cell research and consistency with the President's Executive Order, the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act retains the strong ethical requirements for embryonic stem cell research; requires NIH to maintain guidelines on all human stem cell research; requires NIH to review the guidelines at least every three years and make periodic updates to the guidelines as scientifically warranted; bans the use of federal funding for human cloning under the NIH guidelines; and requires a biennial report to Congress on the research. Under this legislation the NIH is required to ensure the guidelines it published on July 7, 2009, in accordance with President Obama?s Executive Order, are periodically reviewed, and are ethically responsible, scientifically worthy, and compliant with all applicable laws. It will help to ensure that scientists, businesses, and investors are guaranteed regulatory consistency and transparency as the field of human stem cell research continues to evolve.
In 1998, privately funded research led to the breakthrough discovery of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC). This prompted the Clinton Administration to re-examine guidelines for federal funding of embryonic research. In 1999, the president's National Bioethics Advisory Commission recommended that hESC harvested from embryos discarded after in vitro fertility treatments, but not from embryos created expressly for experimentation, be eligible for federal funding. Even though embryos are always destroyed in the process of harvesting hESC, the Clinton Administration decided that it would be permissible under the Dickey Amendment to fund hESC research as long as such research did not itself directly cause the destruction of an embryo. Therefore, HHS issued its proposed regulation concerning hESC funding in 2001. Enactment of the new guidelines was delayed by the incoming George W. Bush administration which decided to reconsider the issue.
President Bush announced, on August 9, 2001 that federal funds, for the first time, would be made available for hESC research on currently existing embryonic stem cell lines. President Bush authorized research on existing human embryonic stem cell lines, not on human embryos under a specific, unrealistic timeline in which the stem cell lines must have been developed. However, the Bush Administration chose not to permit taxpayer funding for research on hESC cell lines not currently in existence, thus limiting federal funding to research in which "the life-and-death decision has already been made".[34] The Bush Administration's guidelines differ from the Clinton Administration guidelines which did not distinguish between currently existing and not-yet-existing hESC. Both the Bush and Clinton guidelines agree that the federal government should not fund hESC research that directly destroys embryos.
Neither Congress nor any administration has ever prohibited private funding of embryonic research. Public and private funding of research on adult and cord blood stem cells is unrestricted.[35]
As you will see, it does not resemble what Ms. DeGette is telling us. She also has ignored the potential of adult stem cell therapy while focusing so intently on embryonic stem cell research. It is my opinion that this is all about politics and not our health. I am not supportive of President Bush's hindrance nor of Obama not really doing much either, but we need to have facts, not political mud slinging. She wrote a book that is also one big bash. Below is the article and press release about this issue.
Posted by Jef Akst, "TheScientist.com"
10th March 2010
US President Barack Obama's 2009 executive order to allow the federal funding of research using new human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines may become law.
Yesterday (March 9), on the one-year anniversary of Obama's announcement, members of Congress Diana DeGette of Colorado and Mike Castle of Delaware reintroduced the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act to "ensure a lasting ethical framework" for such research. DeGette and Castle were the lead sponsors of the bill when it was introduced during the tenure of former President George W. Bush, who vetoed it twice.
The legislation would codify Obama's executive order, which overturned the limitations implemented by Bush, and made it possible for scientists to use federal funds to study hESCs derived after August 9, 2001. So far, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have approved a total of 43 lines, more than double the lines available for distribution during the Bush administration.
The new bill builds on the NIH guidelines introduced last summer for approving hESC lines for federal fudning, and requires that the NIH review and update the guidelines at least every three years, as well as submit a biennial report to Congress on the research.
"Congress must still enact legislation so that both scientists and individuals who stand to benefit from the promise of this research will have some stability backing their quest for life-changing cures," DeGette said in a statement.
Press Release:
CASTLE AND DEGETTE TO INTRODUCE STEM CELL RESEARCH BILL ON ANNIVERSARY OF PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER
Creates Lasting Ethical Framework for all Human Stem Cell Research
Washington | March 9, 2010 - U.S. Reps. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, both chief architects of legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the current policy at the NIH under President Obama's Executive Order, today will introduce bipartisan stem cell research legislation ? the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act?to ensure a lasting ethical framework overseeing stem cell research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
?I continue to share in the view of so many scientists that stem cell research holds great promise for alleviating the suffering of the 100 million American patients living with devastating diseases for which there are no good treatments or cures," said Rep. Castle. "The President's Executive Order lifted restrictions that allowed important research to move forward, but Congress must act to ensure that an over-arching ethical framework is signed into law. Congresswoman DeGette and I will work to advance bipartisan, bicameral consensus for passing this important complementary legislation.?
?I am grateful that one year ago today, President Barack Obama asserted U.S. leadership in stem cell research by lifting President George W. Bush?s ban on embryonic stem cell research,? said Rep. DeGette. ?But Congress must still enact legislation so that both scientists and individuals who stand to benefit from the promise of this research will have some stability backing their quest for life-changing cures. Since the President?s Executive Order establishing a guidelines process for ethical human stem cell research, the NIH has approved 43 stem cell lines eligible for federal funding. I am committed to codifying the process set out in the President?s Executive Order and ensuring that stem cell lines such as these remain eligible as we look to the future.?
The Stem Cell Research Advancement Act builds on President Barack Obama's Executive Order overturning former President Bush?s restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Several years have passed since H.R. 810 / H.R. 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was initially written, passed, and twice vetoed. During that time, the field of human stem cell research has progressed steadily. Just as President Barack Obama did on March 9, 2009, through the issuance of Executive Order 13505 ?Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells?, Congress must do its job to promote the full potential for stem cell therapies by establishing a lasting framework for National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership and research in this area.
To ensure it is current with the ever-expanding field of stem cell research and consistency with the President's Executive Order, the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act retains the strong ethical requirements for embryonic stem cell research; requires NIH to maintain guidelines on all human stem cell research; requires NIH to review the guidelines at least every three years and make periodic updates to the guidelines as scientifically warranted; bans the use of federal funding for human cloning under the NIH guidelines; and requires a biennial report to Congress on the research. Under this legislation the NIH is required to ensure the guidelines it published on July 7, 2009, in accordance with President Obama?s Executive Order, are periodically reviewed, and are ethically responsible, scientifically worthy, and compliant with all applicable laws. It will help to ensure that scientists, businesses, and investors are guaranteed regulatory consistency and transparency as the field of human stem cell research continues to evolve.