California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that "The people of California recognize the promise of stem cell research and believe we as a state should pursue it to its fullest potential in our effort to cure dreaded diseases. By passing the Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, California said to the worlds’ scientific elite and aspiring students that, in California, you will find the resources and the freedom to expand the frontiers of science [...] California has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation for decades, we need Washington to allow us the continued scientific freedom to bring hope to the millions of people who suffer from spinal cord injuries, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other illnesses."

They called for the United States Senate to pass H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, and S. 1520, legislation sponsored by Senator Feinstein and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would ban human reproductive cloning, but allow promising embryonic stem cell research to go forward.

They also urged the Senate to oppose legislation sponsored by Senators Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) that bans a specific area of stem cell research; legislation that poses a grave threat to California’s landmark embryonic stem cell research initiative and could significantly delay research funded by Proposition 71.

Schwarzenegger, Feinstein and Villaraigosa Fight for Stem Cell Research