NCHLA Action Center

On March 9, President Obama issued an Executive Order overturning the limits President Bush had placed on government funding of destructive embryonic stem cell research. On July 7, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published final guidelines implementing the Obama directive. See: nchla.org/datasource/idocuments/7NIHescGuidelns7.09.pdf. Federal taxpayer funds will now support research on human embryonic stem cells that are derived by killing human embryos acquired from fertility clinics. Parents can relinquish their embryonic children for such research when they no longer want them for reproduction.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the Catholic bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called the final guidelines “even broader” than NIH’s proposed draft. For example, parents of the embryonic children need not be informed of all other options but “only about the options that happen to be available at their particular fertility clinic.” Also, stem cell lines already in existence or produced in foreign countries may be eligible for funding “even if they were obtained in ways that violate one or more of the NIH’s own informed consent requirements.”

Cardinal Rigali noted that thousands of comments opposing destructive embryonic stem cell research “were simply ignored.” Also comments by the bishops’ conference and others against specific abuses in the draft “were not addressed.”

Cardinal Rigali concluded: “This debate now shifts to Congress. . . .I hope Americans concerned about this issue will write to their elected representatives, urging them not to codify or further expand this unethical policy.” Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Michael Castle (R-DE) have already announced that they intend to move forward with broader legislation to “promote all forms of ethical stem cell research,” which in their view includes cloning and the creation of embryos solely to destroy them.

For the Cardinal’s full statement, see: www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-155.shtml. Also see the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities’ special stem cell page “Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research” at: www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign.

ACTION: Through the NCHLA Grassroots Action Center, please send messages to your two U.S. Senators and Representative opposing the DeGette/Castle legislation. Please click here: www.nchla.org/stemcell

Messages to Congress can also be sent by U.S. Mail, FAX letter, or phone. Call the Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call Members’ local offices. Full contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

MESSAGE: “Do not use my tax dollars to promote destructive embryonic stem cell research or any form of human cloning. Instead please support adult stem cell research, which is ethically sound, harms no one, and is already producing treatments.”

WHEN: Congress has not yet scheduled action on any legislation.

Update 7/7/09