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Final Chance for Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act
 Dear Friends and Fellow Advocates,
As the end of the 109th Congress of the United States draws near,
our elected officials swing into campaign mode. The Christopher
Reeve Paralysis Act (House Bill H.R. 1554, Senate Bill S. 828) is
still sitting untouched in committees in both the House and Senate.
We must get action on this bill now, or we will lose it entirely. It
is unlikely that the CRPA will be re-introduced in the 110th
Congress. If we fail now, we start over again from zero.
Since the CRPA's 2nd introduction on April 18, 2005, the only thing remaining constant is that no legislation has been passed to benefit the 2 million paralyzed Americans for whom it was created.
What has changed since then? We lost Chris and Dana
Reeve. A resolution recognizing the contributions of Chris and Dana
was introduced to the House of Representatives. (See Sidebar: The
Resolution Honoring the Reeves). It was a lovely gesture, but
contributed nothing to the care or cure of paralyzed Americans. Many
paralyzed Americans formed or joined grassroots efforts to meet in
Washington to promote increases in research budgets. Advances in
paralysis science offered encouraging hopes, but the budget of the
National Institutes of Health was cut by $66 million-the first NIH
cuts since the 1970's. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, to
many our greatest hope for cure, passed in Congress but was defeated
by President Bush's first veto. During the SCREA debates, other cure
possibilities were touted on the Senate Floor as realistic potential
therapies, although no legislation to fund the research for those
therapies was presented. The cosponsor lists for the CRPA grew to 81
in the House and 28 in the Senate; our best showing ever, but still
not enough.
What can you do? Write your Representative and your Senators.
(See Sidebar: Who are My Congressmen?) Call their offices. Ask
your families to do the same. Remind the people that pledged to
support you-their job is unfinished. Remind them of the resolution
honoring Chris and Dana, and that the right thing now is for Congress
to move on the CRPA, which would truly have made a difference to
their lives. (Sidebar: Did My Representative Support The Resolution
Honoring the Reeves?) If your Senators or Representative are
cosponsors of the CRPA, thank them and ask that they apply pressure
to move this bill now - before it is too late. If they are not
co-sponsors, ask them why. (Sidebar: Is my Legislator a Cosponsor
of the CRPA?)
Tell them that you or a loved one is afflicted by paralysis.
Tell them that the clock is ticking, and that a day without action is
one more day of potential progress lost forever. Tell them how long
you've been injured, and how long you've waited for your government
to do the right thing.
Write your local newspapers. (Sidebar: Writing a Letter to
the Editor) Explain the CRPA and its committee status. Describe
your injury, your life and what the CRPA could do to benefit you and
2 million Americans. (Sidebar: Details of CRPA)
Your Members of Congress DO read their local newspapers. In a very competitive election year, they are keenly aware that their constituents read them also.
Friends, it's time for some political hardball. If you've
already done the things mentioned above, we at U2FP thank you, and
ask you to do it again. If you want to do more, follow the lead of
our most effective advocates. These dedicated souls are repeating the
process with legislators outside their own districts. Such advocates
have added 4 new CRPA cosponsors in the past week. The office of
Senator Enzi of Wyoming (Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions) particularly needs attention.
If you've considered contacting your legislators and newspapers
in the past but never found the time, we remind you once more.
The time is now...and it's running out.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at
Unite 2 Fight Paralysis
(Susan Maus, Marilyn Smith, Betheny Winkler and Robert Mulcahy)
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