COALITION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MEDICAL RESEARCH STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS

January 17, 2002 - Washington, DC - The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), the leading patient advocacy group supporting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, issued the following statement today in response to the formation of the President's Council on Bioethics.

"We are very concerned that the list of council members does not have patient group representatives," said Michael Manganiello, President of CAMR. "Dr. Kass has promised the council will transcend politics and uphold its mission to study the issues thoroughly and work with the President to present its findings. But it is imperative that the therapeutic needs of 100 million Americans living with diseases and life-threatening conditions, who could potentially benefit from embryonic stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer, are considered in these discussions."

"The voices of patients are critical in the mix of viewpoints that are shaping public policies of such great importance."