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Letter to President George W. Bush

Letter

Date: June 7, 2007
Issues: Stem Cell Research Science Health and Health Care Federal, State and Local Relations

June 7, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

As governors, we urge you to sign S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. The bill has passed both the Senate and the House with overwhelming bipartisan majorities and is supported by a majority of Americans, major medical and scientific associations, patient advocacy groups and leading universities and research institutions.

Last year you vetoed a similar bill, H.R. 810, continuing a policy that limits federal funding for stem cell research. This policy puts the United States at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace, but more importantly, it fails to recognize the vast potential that research using additional stem cell lines could hold for the millions of Americans suffering from debilitating
diseases. We urge you to reconsider your position and sign S.5.
This bill includes ethics guidelines regarding the use of stem cells that are more stringent than those the administration has put in place. It also provides support for all forms of stem cell research - adult
and embryonic.

Nationwide, millions of Americans suffer from Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, cancer and other diseases. Stem cell research holds the promise of unlocking cures to these diseases and countless others. The bill will allow scientists and researchers
to access healthy, uncontaminated, new stem cell lines that are currently ineligible for federal funding.

Mr. President, to not sign this bill is to hinder research for cures to some of the most dreaded diseases, and we call on you to reverse your position. A bipartisan Congress is giving you an opportunity to help millions of Americans who will benefit from the medical progress derived from stem cell research. We support congressional efforts to do this and urge you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Governor Rod Blagojevich Governor Chet Culver
Illinois Iowa
Governor Kathleen Sebelius Governor John Baldacci
Kansas Maine
Governor Deval Patrick Governor Jennifer Granholm
Massachusetts Michigan
Governor Jon Corzine Governor Bill Richardson
New Jersey New Mexico
Governor Eliot Spitzer Governor Ted Strickland
New York Ohio
Governor Ted Kulongoski Governor Ed Rendell
Oregon Pennsylvania
Governor Chris Gregoire Governor Jim Doyle
Washington Wisconsin


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