Florida Cures Names Shawn Friedkin Chair of Statewide Stem Cell Campaign
Shawn Friedkin, who has devoted the past 15 years to advocating for people with neurological disabilities, has been named chairman of Floridians for Stem Cell Research & Cures (Florida Cures). As such, Friedkin will take a leading role in the proposed referendum next year to require state spending for embryonic stem cell research, which could lead to cures for many diseases and spinal cord injuries. Paralyzed from the chest down in 1992, Friedkin is president and founder of the nonprofit organization Stand Among Friends, which helps people with disabilities to live with independence and success.
Florida Stem Cell Campaign Announces Important Endorsements and Online Petition Campaign with Launch of Official Web Site
Floridians for Stem Cell Research and Cures announce the endorsement by well-known Florida and national advocacy groups with the launch of its official web site www.floridacures.com. The Florida Cure Initiative seeks voter approval in 2008 for a state constitutional amendment to provide $200 million for embryonic stem cell research grants to Florida research and academic institutions. The campaign begins with an aggressive online petition drive and volunteer recruitment. Visitors can download petitions, sign up as volunteers, make contributions and catch up on the latest news.
Bringing The Promise Of Stem Cell Research A Step Closer To Reality
"When you injure your spinal cord," Arinzeh said, "you damage your nerve tissue and the neurons. So I'd like to regenerate that nerve tissue by coaxing stem cells to turn into neurons. My hope is that in five years, say, a person with spinal cord impairment could visit a doctor and be injected with a supply of stem cells. After such treatment, the patient's spinal cord would begin to heal."
Stem cell push surprise passion for lawyer
...it was his (Bernie Siegel's) decision in late 2002 to take on a UFO cult claiming to have cloned a baby that catapulted Siegel into the international spotlight and turned him into a stem cell research crusader in a battle that has taken him all the way to the United Nations
Ethics debate draws lines in political, faith realms
U.S. Rep. Mark Foley of Fort Pierce, a Catholic and a Republican, says that government should do more than allow the research, that it also should invest in it. "I do not have a conflict with it," he said. "I would like the government to be a partner."
Stem Cell Research in Florida Puts Bush Brothers at Odds
President Bush has limited federal funds for embryonic stem cell research, a position that clearly puts him and his brother at odds. Gov. Bush has been placed in a position where the biotech industry is expected to be subsidized in Florida, while conservatives are putting pressure on him to withhold public support for any research utilizing embryonic stem cells in Florida.
New National Poll Finds Vast Majority of Americans Support Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Exactly four years after the last new line of embryonic stem cells were allowed to be studied using federal money, results from a new nationwide poll released today reveal that 73 percent of Americans believe stem cell research could one day lead to new disease treatments and cures, and 70 percent support increasing federal funding for the research. The results mark a sharp increase in public support for stem cell research since a 2001 executive order limited the federal government's role in the research.
State legislators to debate use of tax money for stem-cell research
For the first time, Florida legislators this month will tackle the ethically charged issue of stem-cell research and whether tax money should pay for it.
Aaronson gets Harvard lawyer for stem cell ballot language
All politicians seek a place in history. Burt Aaronson wants his legacy to be known as the father of publicly financed embryonic stem cell research in Florida – a proposal whose controversy extends well beyond spending public money, and into the realm of the right-to-life debate. “This is what I want to be remembered for, more than anything else,” the Palm Beach County Commissioner said.
Deutsch bill aims to overturn Bush ban on stem cell research funding
U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch is calling for an immediate end of President George W. Bush’s ban on public funding of stem cell research. The effort took a major step forward Monday – the third anniversary of the research ban – when two fellow Democratic congressmen, Alcee Hastings and Robert Wexler, joined the Deutsch crusade.
Klein joins stem cell movement with $15M annual funding bill
State Sen. Ron Klein (D-Delray Beach) has thrown his hat into the controversial ring of stem cell research by proposing new legislation that would spend $15 million a year from the general fund “to make Florida a leading force in the field.” Klein says the bill is “highly sensitive to ethical standards, require informed consent by donors and will ban human cloning.”
'Embryonic' stalls stem-cell research bills
TALLAHASSEE State legislators have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the biomedical giant Scripps Research Institute to the state, a big player in the world of stem-cell research. State financing for adult stem-cell research already is written into Florida law, and the legislature appears poised to pass a bill that would spend $120 million over four years on cancer and Alzheimer's research with some of that money going to adult stem-cell research. But once the word ”embryonic” gets thrown into the stem-cell discussion, things quickly change in the Capitol. ”They're afraid to say the word,” said Rep. Shelley Vana, D-Lantana.
Panel passes measure on stem-cell research
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Several top Senate Republicans joined Democrats in voting Tuesday for a measure to provide state money for embryonic stem-cell research, opening the door for continued debate on the controversial but potentially promising type of medical research.
Aaronson applauds Klein sponsored stem cell research bill passage
"They did a wonderful job," said County Commissioner Burt Aaronson. ”And now the governor owes it to the people to make sure this gets on the ballot this November - and let the people decide.” Aaronson told The Boca Raton News he was ”very pleased” that the State Senate Health Care Committee has passed the ”Florida Better Quality of Life and Biomedical Research Act -- legislation that would provide $15 million toward the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research.