The Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures

Lawrence Journal-World
December 16, 2007

Stem cell battle likely to rage on

Topeka — A recent breakthrough in stem cell research has been hailed by some as the end of a contentious debate over using embryos in research.

But in Kansas, that fight is expected to continue.
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Lawrence Journal-World
March 6, 2007

Cloning ban may be dead in Kansas Legislature

Topeka — Two measures sought by conservatives to restrict cloning research may be dead for the 2007 legislative session. Hearings on the bills, which had been scheduled for Tuesday before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, were postponed indefinitely.
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Center for American Progress
March 1, 2007

The Defining Problem
Defining scientific terms for political reasons is bad for both sides of the debate.

Ongoing stem cell research and cloning debates in Kansas and other states highlight a new frontier in the stem cell debate: attempts to define scientific terms for political advantage.  
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Wichita Eagle
February 25, 2007

Events suggest support for cloning measures has slipped

Topeka — As the Legislature passed the midpoint of its 2007 session, events suggested that critics of embryonic stem cell research have seen support erode for their legislation on human cloning.   Read more >

Lawrence Journal-World
February 13, 2007

Proposal to ban human cloning proves divisive

Topeka — Supporters of a ban on using public funds for human cloning said Monday that the proposal would ensure that no tax dollars are used for such controversial research. But opponents of House Bill 2255 said the measure goes much further by blocking promising research on stem cells that has nothing to do with cloning.
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TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL
February 13, 2007

Cloning research debate rages on

Drew Dimmel's hand tapped out an uncontrolled beat on the lectern, a reminder to him of the consequences of the debate at hand. Dimmel, who has Parkinson's Disease and is chairman of the Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland, testified Monday before the House Health and Human Services Committee on a bill that would ban state-funded human cloning research.

"What I find objectionable is that the state might discourage medical research that might one day relegate Parkinson's to the historical waste bin, the way the Salk vaccine did with polio," he said.
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Lawrence Journal-World
January 12, 2007

KU scientists hope bill passes, increasing funds

Kansas University scientists whose research involves human stem cells crossed their fingers Thursday, hoping that a bill boosting federal support of embryonic stem cell research could survive.

“I get so many e-mails from people who have sick children, who have sick mothers or fathers,” said Kathy Mitchell, KU assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology. “They’re asking for help. There are so many people who want this help, who are desperate.”
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The Boston Globe
January 10, 2007

Scientist: Don't halt embryonic stem cell studies

Tells Congress amniotic work is not a substitute

WASHINGTON -- The author of a study on amniotic stem cells urged Congress yesterday not to consider his work a substitute for the search for disease-fighting material from embryonic stem cells.

"Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. I disagree with that assertion," wrote Anthony Atala of Wake Forest University, the author of a study published this week and widely seized upon by opponents of embryonic stem cell research as a more moral option.
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The Washington Post
July 15, 2006

Clash Over Stem Cell Research Heats Up
Scientists Dispute Claims of Leading Foe of Bill to Ease Embryo Restrictions

WASHINGTON -- With just days to go before the Senate is scheduled to vote on a hotly anticipated bill that would loosen President Bush's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research, both sides of the scientifically and ethically charged issue have ramped up their publicity machines and attacks on each other.
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Press Release
July 14, 2006

Neaves Calls for Truthful Claims in Stem Cell Debate

Kansas City, Mo. – William B. Neaves, President and CEO of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, has joined Shane Smith, Ph.D., of the Children’s Neurobiological Solutions Foundation and Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in analyzing a widely-distributed list of 65 purported adult stem cell treatments for diseases and injuries.
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Sarah Lueck, Wall Street Journal
July 12, 2006

Amid Veto Threat, Senate Poised To Weigh Trio of Stem-Cell Bills

WASHINGTON -- Despite repeated veto threats, the Senate is likely to vote next week to send President Bush a bill to expand federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. But Mr. Bush may get a chance to seek political cover with an alternative measure promoting research that doesn't destroy embryos.
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Coalition Update
July 11, 2006

More Leading Patient and Medical Groups Join Our Coalition

We're proud to announce that the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures now includes more than 60 leading patient and medical organizations – making us one of the largest coalitions of its kind in the state.
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For Immediate Release:
May 16, 2006

Nearly Three-Quarters of America Supports Embryonic Stem Cell Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) announced today poll results revealing that nearly three-quarters of Americans support embryonic stem cell research and want the Senate to vote on federal funding for stem cell research.
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David Klepper, Kansas City Star
May 11, 2006

Kansas lawmakers remove research ban form panel to explore subject

TOPEKA — A proposed ban on state-funded stem-cell research is dead for now, but indications are that the debate is just getting started in Kansas.

A compromise reached in the final hours of the 2006 legislative session removed the proposed ban from the state budget but called for a special legislative panel to examine the issues surrounding stem-cell research.
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For Immediate Release:
April 27, 2006

Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland joins in supporting the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures

Overland Park, Kan. – A leading regional group dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease and to supporting Parkinson’s sufferers and their caregivers today announced that it is joining the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, a broad-based coalition of concerned citizens and leading patient and medical organizations working to protect patient access to stem cell treatments and cures in Kansas.
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For Immediate Release:
April 25, 2006

Parkinson’s Action Network Endorses The Kansas Coalition For Lifesaving Cures

Washington, D.C. – Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN), the leading advocacy voice of the Parkinson’s community, today announced that it has joined as a member of the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, a broad-based coalition of concerned citizens and dozens of leading patient and medical organizations working to protect patient access to stem cell treatments and cures in Kansas.
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For Immediate Release:
March 28, 2006

JDRF Joins the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures

New York, NY – The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s largest private supporter of research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes and related complications, today announced its support for the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, a coalition of leading patient advocacy and medical organizations working to protect patient access to stem cell treatments, therapies and cures.
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For Immediate Release:
January 5, 2006

Poll Shows Kansans Strongly Support Stem Cell Research and Oppose Any State-Level Ban

Lawrence, KS – A recent poll of 800 Kansas voters conducted by renowned Republican pollster Fred Steeper found that Kansas voters overwhelmingly support allowing all types of stem cell research and treatments in Kansas and oppose any state-level bans on stem cell research or treatments allowed under federal law. By a margin of more than two-to-one, Kansas voters said they support allowing both adult and early, or embryonic, stem cell research in the state.
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By Scott Rothschild, Lawrence Journal-World
January 6, 2006

Poll: Kansans favor stem cell research

Topeka, KS – A new poll showing widespread support in Kansas for embryonic stem cell research provided more ammunition in what will be a hotly debated issue this year.
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Mike Belt, Lawrence Journal-World
December 25, 2005

Reverend's Stem Cell Support is Personal

When the Rev. Kathy Neufeld Dunn signed on as a member of a statewide coalition supporting stem cell research, her thoughts were of her brother-in-law.
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For Immediate Release:
December 9, 2005

Coalition Formed to Protect Stem Cell Research and Cures in Kansas

Statewide coalition also launches website providing information on its effort to protect lifesaving medical research for Kansas patients
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Associated Press
December 9, 2005

Stem Cell Coalition Formed in Kansas

LAWRENCE – A coalition of patient advocacy groups, medical experts and concerned citizens today launched an effort to ensure that Kansas patients will have access to any future stem cell cures that are allowed by federal law and available to other Americans. The group, called the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, includes dozens of medical and patient organizations and hundreds of concerned citizens throughout the state.
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