If ever there was just ONE reason that George Allen should be defeated in November, it is his vote against stem-cell research.
Even when his esteemed colleague, Orrin Hatch, delivered his speech of support for H.R. 810, George Allen voted the way of the president. In his speech, Senator Hatch cited the words of Dr. Harold Varmus, Nobel Laureate, former director of the National Institutes of Health, and current director of the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, who said, +óGé¼+ôthe development of a cell that may produce almost every tissue of the human body is an unprecedented scientific breakthrough. It is not too unrealistic to say that this practice has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine.+óGé¼-¥
The Institute of Medicine Report cites the prevalence of diseases and conditions that are likely to be improved or cures by stem cell therapy in the future: cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer+óGé¼Gäós Disease, Parkinson+óGé¼Gäós Disease, spinal cord injuries, burns, and many birth defects.
My own father suffered from a relatively rare disease, Para-Supranuclear Palsy. It is a horrible disease that traps a living, thinking human being in a body that no longer works. Dad was a Virginia State Trooper for 15 years, and changed occupations to become a home builder, doing most of the work himself, because he enjoyed the satisfaction of creating something functional and beautiful. Within a couple of years of his diagnosis, he was living in a nursing home, because he couldn+óGé¼Gäót walk, talk, or eat without choking. He drank thickened water to prevent liquid from filling his lungs, giving him pneumonia, and all of his food was pureed because he couldn+óGé¼Gäót chew. It was devastating for me to see his decline from a man who was so active and articulate, to someone who could only whisper +óGé¼+ôI love you, too.+óGé¼-¥
Doctors used to think that PSP was not hereditary, but I understand that there is some evidence now that indicates it may be. So this is an issue that may affect me and my children, and many millions whose family members carry these types of illnesses.
George Allen+óGé¼Gäós arrogant opinion that human life would be destroyed in the process of harvesting stem cells is no excuse. There are thousands of fertilized eggs destroyed in vain every year when couples conceive a child and no longer need the fertilized eggs, but George Allen doesn+óGé¼Gäót consider this. His closed-minded approach to science and medicine is an outrage and a crime against humanity.
His way of thinking is an affront to every Virginian he says he represents. If he has his way and stem cell therapies are developed only in other countries, only the richest, or the +óGé¼+ôelite+óGé¼-¥ as they are referred to by our president, will be able to obtain treatment. The average American will be left to suffer once again, which seems to be a trend with George Allen.
Other countries will be the new leaders in the scientific arena. Our own scientists will be forced to work off-shore to realize their own dreams. Our country will suffer in more ways than one when our best and brightest leave our country in order to fulfill their life's mission+óGé¼GÇ¥to help the living.
I think that the people of Virginia need to understand this side of the story (if they don+óGé¼Gäót already), and I hope and trust that you can articulate this and other issues to them.
We need someone like you to represent the Commonwealth. Thank you for fighting for us. Keep up the good work.