U.S. House to vote Tuesday May 24 on embryo-killing research (H.R. 810) Take Action!

WASHINGTON (UPDATED May 20, 2005) -- The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday, May 24, on H.R. 810, a bill that would order federal funding of stem cell research that requires killing human embryos. NRLC strongly opposes this bill.

H.R. 810, sponsored by Reps. Michael Castle (R-De.) and Diana DeGette (D-Co.), would overturn the policy adopted by President Bush in 2001. President Bush's policy bars federal funding of research that would require killing human embryos. President Bush opposes H.R. 810.

On May 11, NRLC sent a letter to House members expressing opposition to the bill, and advising them that the roll call will be included in NRLC's scorecard of key congressional votes for the current Congress. You can read the NRLC letter here.

No amendments will be considered to H.R. 810. The House will vote yes or no on the bill as it was introduced. You can read the text of the bill here.

H.R. 810 currently has 201 co-sponsors. You can view an always-current list of co-sponsors by clicking here.

Your help is needed! Please IMMEDIATELY communicate with your representative in the U.S. House, urging him or her to support President Bush's pro-life policy by OPPOSING H.R. 810. Urge other pro-life citizens to do the same.

To easily send free e-mail messages to House members in opposition to H.R. 810, put your zip code into the "Take Action Now" box on this page.

Also, please call your U.S. House member through the Capitol Switchboard, 202-225-3121 (just give the switchboard operator your zip code and you will automatically be connected to the correct lawmaker's office). Urge him or her to VOTE NO ON H.R. 810, the "Castle embryo-killing bill."

NOTE: Stem cells obtained from NON-embryonic sources have provided benefits to real human patients with at least 58 different diseases and conditions (to see a partial list, click here). One ethical source for stem cells is the blood from umbilical cords (to see some information on therapeutic applications of cord blood stem cells, click here). On May 24, the same day that the House takes up H.R. 810, the House will also take up and pass the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act, sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), the chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus. This bill will establish a new federal program to make stem cells extracted from umbilical cord blood available to patients who need them. NRLC supports the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act. Pro-life House members should be urged to support "the Chris Smith cord blood bill" as an ethical alternative to the embryo-killing research promoted by H.R. 810. (No bill number has yet been assigned to the Chris Smith cord blood bill.)

For further information on embryonic stem cell research, click hereain and here. Or, send e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com.

NOTE: There is also likely to be a vote on this issue this year in the Senate, where the bill has been introduced by Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) as S. 471. To send your two U.S. senators appropriate messages about this legislation, click here.

PLEASE KEEP N.R.L.C. INFORMED! If you obtain a response from a Member of Congress, or any other information on any lawmaker’s position on this issue (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by U.S. mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation Department, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.