Urgent Congressional Alert: Urge Congress to Reject Embryo-Killing Research.

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2005) - - President Bush has vowed that federal funds will not be used to support research that requires killing human embryos, but Congress may soon vote on bills that would overturn the President's pro-life policy.

Your help is needed! Please communicate with your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and your two U.S. senators, urging them to support President Bush's pro-life policy and to oppose legislation that would authorize federal funding of research that requires killing human embryos.

You can send messages to your representatives by e-mail, telephone, fax, or U.S. mail. Details appear below.

Background

Near the end of his administration, President Bill Clinton took steps to authorize federal funding of research which would use stem cells obtained by killing human embryos, originally created by in vitro fertilization in infertility clinics. However, after President Bush took office in January 2001, he blocked such funding.

On August 9, 2001, President Bush gave a televised speech in which he announced that no federal funds would be used for any research which would require the destruction of human embryos, including embryos created during infertility treatments and later "donated" for research by the biological parents. The President's policy allowed federal funds to be used on "cell lines" based on cells obtained from human embryos prior to the adoption of the policy.

Now, organizations that favor embryo-destructive research are pushing Congress to approve legislation, known as the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act," that would overturn President Bush's pro-life policy. This legislation would authorize federally funded research using stem cells from human embryos who are donated by their biological parents; the process of removing the stem cells will kill the embryos.