HF 4211

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

1.1     A resolution
1.2     urging the passage of the Stem Cell Research Act of 2005.
1.3     WHEREAS, an estimated 128,000,000 Americans suffer from the crippling economic and 
1.4     psychological burden of chronic, degenerative, and acute diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's 
1.5     disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; and
1.6     WHEREAS, the costs of treatment and lost productivity caused by chronic, degenerative, 
1.7     and acute diseases in the United States constitute hundreds of billions of dollars every year. 
1.8     Estimates of the economic costs of these diseases do not account for the extreme human loss and 
1.9     suffering associated with these conditions; and
1.10    WHEREAS, stem cell research offers immense promise for developing new medical 
1.11    therapies for these debilitating diseases and a critical means to explore fundamental questions 
1.12    of biology. Stem cell research could lead to unprecedented treatments and potential cures for 
1.13    diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and other diseases; and
1.14    WHEREAS, the United States and Minnesota have historically been a haven for open 
1.15    scientific inquiry and technological innovation and this environment, coupled with the 
1.16    commitment of public and private resources, has made the United States the preeminent world 
1.17    leader in biomedicine and biotechnology; and
1.18    WHEREAS, open scientific inquiry and publicly funded research will be essential to 
1.19    realizing the promise of stem cell research. Publicly funded stem cell research, conducted under 
1.20    established standards of open scientific exchange, peer review, and public oversight, offers the 
1.21    most efficient and responsible means of fulfilling the promise of stem cells to provide regenerative 
1.22    medical therapies; and
2.1     WHEREAS, public policy on stem cell research must balance ethical and medical 
2.2     considerations. The policy must be based on an understanding of the science associated with stem 
2.3     cell research and grounded in a thorough consideration of the ethical concerns regarding this 
2.4     research. Public policy on stem cell research must be carefully crafted to ensure that researchers 
2.5     have the tools necessary to fulfill the promise of stem cell research; NOW, THEREFORE,
2.6     BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota  that it urges the Senate of 
2.7     the United Sates to pass, and the President of the United States to sign into law, H.R. 810, the 
2.8     Stem Cell Research Act of 2005, to provide for human embryonic stem cell research.  
2.9     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the  State of Minnesota is 
2.10    directed to prepare copies of this  memorial and transmit them to the President of  the United States, 
2.11    the President and the Secretary of the  United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United  
2.12    States House of Representatives, and Minnesota's Senators and  Representatives in Congress.