Hadassah lobbies lawmakers for support of stem cell research

One hundred Hadassah members from Phoenix and Tucson traveled to the Arizona legislature on March 2, for a "Date with the State" day to educate and lobby their lawmakers about the benefits of embryonic stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer. Throughout March, Hadassah members in 46 other states are going to their state capitols as part of Hadassah's national stem cell campaign.

"Jewish women usually gather together to meet, to play mahj, or to kibbitz," said Fredi Brown, president of the Hadassah Valley of the Sun chapter. "When dozens of Hadassah members gathered at the Arizona state capitol to advocate for stem cell research, I knew that we had hit a hot button.

"But our work is not done," she said. "We will continue to inform, educate and persuade our legislators and our own members with the latest news about stem cell research. The future of the health of our children and grandchildren lies in stem cell research."

Hadassah is on the cutting edge of this research. Scientists at its Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy in Jerusalem have been carrying out research on embryonic stem cell lines since 1998, when six lines were established, registered with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and are thus eligible to receive NIH funding. Five lines are actively distributed worldwide. Such scientific breakthroughs are essential to millions of people suffering from debilitating and deadly diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. At the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, scientists recently succeeded in showing that human embryonic stem cells can improve the functioning of a laboratory rat with Parkinson's disease.

Beth Shapiro, chairwoman of the local advocacy event, said that the anti-stem cell bills introduced this legislative session highlight the complex scientific and ethical issues surrounding stem cell research.

"The term 'therapeutic cloning' is often mistakenly used in place of somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT," she said. "SCNT is not reproductive or human cloning," but a method of creating embryonic stem cells for research. Using stem cells derived from SCNT enables scientists to create tailor-made, genetically identical cells from a patient's own DNA, so the person's body is less likely to reject the new cells, she said.

More than 40 lawmakers attended the Hadassah luncheon and heard keynote speaker Belle Simon, Hadassah National board member and former chairwoman of Hadassah Medical Organization. Simon received a kidney transplant last May from a fellow Hadassah member.

For more information about Hadassah and its role in stem cell research, contact the Hadassah Valley of the Sun resource center at 480-998-1880.

Information courtesy of Hadassah Valley of the Sun Chapter.