Schumer, Members of Westchester's "Team Lorraine" Meet to Expand Effort to Override President's Veto of Stem Cell Legislation

Schumer, Members Of Westchester's ‘Team Lorraine' Meet To Expand Effort To Override President's Veto Of Stem Cell Legislation

‘Team Lorraine' Was Created By Friends After Lorraine Valentini, A Hartsdale Teacher, Championship Cyclist and Volunteer Firefighter, Was In A Biking Accident That Left Her With A Spinal Cord Injury - Stem Cells Could Be Her Only Hope

‘Team Lorraine,' Composed Of Her Former Cycling Buddies, Biked From Hartsdale To Washington, DC And Met With Schumer On Day The President Vetoed Stem Ce

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today met with members of Westchester's ‘Team Lorraine' to expand efforts to override the President's veto of the Stem Cell Research Bill. Lorraine Valentini sustained a spinal cord injury in a biking accident, and ‘Team Lorraine' was created by her close friend Colleen Kelly and other friends to raise awareness for stem cell research and spinal cord injuries. ‘Team Lorraine' has made bracelets in green, Lorraine's favorite color, to support stem cell research, and Schumer will wear the bracelet from Team Lorraine until a stem cell research bill becomes law. Schumer was joined by Lorraine's husband Chris Reyling, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, who led the bicycle ride to Washington, DC and Colleen Kelly, Founder and Director of ‘Team Lorraine'.

"When Team Lorraine was in Washington, I was touched by their drive to get something done on stem cells in honor of their friend," Schumer said. "It's tragic that the president has chosen as his first veto this bill that could mean new hope for millions of Americans, hope that we could find a cure for a multitude of diseases. All you have to do is talk to a mother whose child is battling juvenile diabetes, someone with a parent suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, or one of Lorraine Valentini's close friends to understand how important this legislation is."

In late May of this year, the House of Representatives passed the Stem Cell Research Bill, and in July, the Senate followed suit. On July 19, when President George W. Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Legislation that had recently passed Congress, Schumer met with ‘Team Lorraine' on the steps of the Capitol after their 300 mile bike ride from Hartsdale to Washington, DC. The Stem Cell Research Bill would increase the number of stem cell lines that can be used by researchers who are funded by federal grants. These stem cells are not new embryos that would be created for the purpose of research, but rather would be leftover embryos created by couples who are trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization, that would otherwise be destroyed.

Without being able to use federal funding for their research, Schumer asserts that innovative stem cell research is being stymied. When a stem cell bill becomes law, it would accelerate the movement towards a cure for a countless different devastating diseases, while strengthening the rules on ethics that must be involved in such research. Moreover, not being allowed to use federal funding for the stem cell lines available has broader implications for all researchers. Scientists who are working on research that does not involve stem cells are being hindered because of the overly-restrictive rules about stem cell research. Schumer emphasized that the best minds in the country need to be working around the clock to find cures for debilitating diseases, and the government needs to give them whatever tools they need to get the job done.

According to the Christopher Reeve Foundation, approximately 450,000 people in the United States have sustained traumatic spinal cord injuries, with more than 10,000 new cases of SCI emerging in the U.S. every year. Males account for 82 percent of all SCI's, which are most commonly caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, and acts of violence. Most spinal cord injury patients are in their teens or twenties. By using embryonic stem cells, scientists hope to learn how to grow healthy cells that could be transplanted into a patient and take over for their damaged cells. This could ultimately restore communication between the brain and different parts of the body, and therefore improve motor function for SCI patients.

Schumer and his Senate Democratic colleagues have sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, pushing him to show his commitment to the promise of embryonic stem cell research by helping to organize a Congressional override of President Bush's veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Schumer said with millions of Americans looking to the Congress for the hope of new treatments and cures for debilitating illnesses, the nation cannot afford to wait any longer for the enactment of this urgently needed legislation.

On Memorial Day of 2005, Lorraine Valentini had a tragic bicycling accident in which she severely injured her spinal cord, resulting in paralysis below her neck. This was devastating, not only to Lorraine, but to her family, friends and neighbors, and sent shock waves throughout her cycling community. Lorraine is a retired English Literature teacher, Hartsdale Volunteer Firefighter and accomplished cyclist. Lorraine is now in the Yale/New Haven Hospital. Although Lorraine sustained serious injury to her spine, which has resulted in paralysis below her neck, her mind is totally intact. Currently, Lorraine is unable to move or feel sensation below her neck and is connected to a ventilator. In order to speak, she uses a special voice valve that enables air to flow past her vocal cords.

"We will get a stem cell research bill into law; I want to assure everybody who clings to the hope that we will let research continue so that people can be cured. And whether it's this year, or with a new Senate and a new House and the next president, this will become the law of the United States," Schumer added.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262205&&year=2006&