URGENT ACTION ALERT

The United Nations is going to vote on a proposed treaty for a WORLDWIDE BAN
on a form of Stem Cell Research possibly as soon as Wednesday, 10/21.
Please read the following Action Alert and fax letters to the UN tonight and
throughout the day on Wednesday, 10/21.

The type of stem cell research that some counties are attempting to
Criminalize BY IMPOSING a UN-VOTED WORLDWIDE BAN is called Somatic Cell
Nuclear Transfer - SCNT - also known as "Therapeutic Cloning" in the press.
SCNT is a laboratory procedure that uses a patient's own DNA (from a skin
cell - never a sperm or egg cell) to grow stem cells in a Petrie dish that
can become the source of cells that are an exact match for the patient to be
used to cure the patient's degenerative disease or condition. With SCNT,
there is no sperm, no fertilized egg, no implantation in a uterus, no
pregnancy, and no baby - just cells in a Petrie dish. This procedure is
referred to as Therapeutic Cloning because the patient's DNA is replicated
in the cluster of 100-200 stem cells. TAMR supports SCNT for Therapeutic
Cloning because this important biomedical research will virtually
revolutionalize medicine to alleviate the suffering of millions around the
world. The UN vote to impose a worldwide ban on Therapeutic Cloning will ban
this important research in every country in the world! Meaning the research
would shut down and along with it the hope for all our loved ones who have
incurable, degenerative diseases and conditions. Like all mainstream
biomedical research institutions, medical institutions and organizations,
and leading health advocacy organizations, TAMR strongly opposes Human
Reproductive Cloning - attempting to use SCNT to try to create a human
being.

You may recall that when a ban on SCNT for Therapeutic Cloning was last
brought before the UN for a vote, the ban did NOT pass by ONE vote. The
upcoming vote is also going to be very close. SO, PLEASE fax a letter to US
Ambassador Danforth at the UN NOW urging him to vote for The South
Korean/Belgium resolution that would appropriately prohibit human
reproductive cloning, but would allow individual nations to develop their
own laws and policies governing therapeutic cloning.

Ambassador Danforth's voicemail is full, and the email also appears to have
shut down, so sending a fax is the best option. Please, also ASK ALL your
friends, relatives, and associates to help you by also faxing a letter.
These letters are what will make a difference in the outcome of the vote.
Please do this for our loved ones.

URGENT TAMR ACTION ALERT - INSTRUCTIONS - SAMPLE Letter to FAX
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PLEASE CUSTOMIZE THE SAMPLE LETTER TO INCLUDE YOUR PERSONAL STORY.
BE SURE TO SIGN IT. Add your contact information if you wish. FAX it to the
UN to Ambassador Danforth's office:
FAX NUMBER: 212-415-4053
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Fax Number 212-415-4053
Dear Ambassador Danforth:
As a citizen of the United States, I am writing to urge you to support the
resolution offered by South Korea and Belgium that would appropriately
prohibit human reproductive cloning, but would allow individual nations to
develop their own laws and policies governing therapeutic cloning.
The type of stem cell research that some counties are attempting to ban on a
worldwide basis is called Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer (SCNT) - also known
as "Therapeutic Cloning." SCNT is a laboratory procedure that uses a
patient's own DNA (from a skin cell - never a sperm or egg cell) to grow
stem cells in a Petrie dish. These stem cells can be coaxed into becoming
the source of custom-made cells that are an exact match for the patient
because they contain the patient's DNA. These cells can then be used to cure
the patient of his or her degenerative disease and mitigate immune system
rejection. This procedure is referred to as Therapeutic Cloning because the
patient's DNA is replicated in the cells. SCNT for Therapeutic Cloning has
the potential to treat or cure medical conditions such as diabetes,
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, spinal cord injury, and many other
incurable diseases and conditions that currently afflict millions of people
in the United States and hundreds of millions worldwide. Banning therapeutic
cloning on a worldwide basis will shut down the most promising research in
the world - research that could virtually revolutionalize medicine to end
the suffering of hundreds of millions of human beings.
There is a vast difference between Reproductive Cloning (the use of somatic
cell nuclear transfer technology for the purpose of attempting to create a
human being) and therapeutic cloning (the use of somatic cell nuclear
transfer technology to derive stem cells in order to develop therapies to
help cure and/or treat various diseases. Reproductive Cloning should be
banned, but Therapeutic Cloning should not be banned.
I am asking you to please take the side of scientists, researchers, and
patients and their families - please vote for the resolution that the South
Korea and Belgium delegations have offered, which would fully ban human
reproductive cloning, but will permit each nation to determine their own
laws and policies regarding therapeutic cloning.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

For more information, please contact the Dallas JDRF office at (214)373-9808 or email us at info@jdrfDallas.org.