(St. Louis, MO)- Missouri  Congressman Russ Carnahan will meet with St. Louis area residents this weekend who are most concerned by stem cell legislation expected to be acted upon by the United States Senate next week in Washington, D.C..  Meanwhile, Missouri State Senator Chuck Graham will hold a similar meeting in  Columbia, MO.

A year ago Congressman Carnahan was proud to be a co-sponsor and among the majority of members of the United States House of Representatives who voted in favor of HR810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which advances critical stem cell research guided by strict ethical controls. Such research holds the promise of cures for many diseases.

The collective sense of accomplishment at the time was profound among members who successfully navigated this direly needed research expansion and funding to the House floor for passage.  Democratic peers,  joined by Republican colleagues across the aisle, set aside politics and agreed upon a way that high ethical standards, applied to stem cell research, could be imposed allowing additional stem lines to be readied for research and allowing research to proceed beyond the Bush Administration's restrictions.

Now with the Senate poised for a vote, the White House waits with possible intentions to throw down its first veto.  Science, not politics, should determine the future of this research.   The collective well being of our people clearly depends upon responsible action not reprehensible delay. 

Those meeting with Carnahan, and other lawmakers this weekend, urge all Missourians, families, organizations, institutions and businesses to press the U.S. Senate to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.  As for the President, in his six years in office, President Bush has signed 1116 bills into law without vetoing a single one.  

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