JDRF Washington Report
Vol. 7, No. 2
January 20, 2004

JDRF Stem Cell Position Paper Now Online

JDRF Government Relations would like to announce that the recently released JDRF Position Paper:  Embryonic Stem Cells is now available online.  In an effort to promote the public dialogue on embryonic stem cell research, JDRF has prepared this position paper as an evaluation of the Administration policy and its impact on the stem cell field, and as an analysis of the state of stem cell research in the U.S.

JDRF volunteers across the country will be meeting with their Members of Congress in the coming months as part of our Promise to Remember Me Campaign that is already in full swing.  One of the messages for this campaign is that the current policy on embryonic stem cell research is too restrictive and should be expanded.   This paper will provide you with additional background information on this issue and a strong justification for this position.

As you know, embryonic stem cells hold tremendous promise for the treatment of life-threatening and debilitating diseases such as type 1 diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.  However, the science of stem cell research is complex; and along with its therapeutic potential, the field of stem cell research has also become the focus of intense debate.   Much of the public debate has revolved around federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and the Administration's policy on this research, established more than two years ago.  The position paper's key finding is that in order to realize the most from embryonic stem cell research, the Administration's restrictions on only being able to use a limited number of stem cell lines should be relaxed.