PRESIDENTIAL VETO PLACES POLITICS OVER HOPES OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS

July 19, 2006 --The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF), the national, non-profit organization dedicated to finding cures and treatments for spinal cord injuries and improving the lives of people living with paralysis, is extremely disappointed with President Bush's veto of H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which passed the House of Representatives and Senate by wide margins.  

"The President shattered the hopes of millions of Americans living with paralysis and many other diseases and disabilities who dream of a cure in their lifetime, a vision that Christopher Reeve pursued passionately for others," said Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
 
"This veto sets back the pace of research and jeopardizes our nation's leadership position in the fields of science and medicine," Lewis added.

The CRF thanks the 238 members of the House of Representatives as well as 63 Senators of both parties who supported the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. 

The CRF will continue its advocacy and support of people living with paralysis, educating leaders of both parties on the importance of free scientific inquiry in the search for cures as well as for the resources to ease the burden of disability now.

"Christopher and Dana Reeve focused their voices and activism on identifying new avenues for cures and new ways for scientists to collaborate and bring their research to fruition more quickly," Lewis noted.  "Federal funding of stem cell research is central to that vision; it would attract many more scientists and laboratories to this promising arena of research and provide greater opportunities for collaboration.  This Foundation will fight on behalf of Christopher and Dana Reeve's legacy and overcome this temporary setback."