Today, I join patient advocates across the country in expressing deep disappointment with President Bush’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

Our country stands on the Democratic principle of majority rule. While I have the utmost respect for anyone’s personal beliefs on this subject, the fact is that we live in a democratic society where majority rule is supposed to count. In my view, it’s a sad day for our country when our President overrules the wishes of the majority of Americans, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to invoke his personal belief on legislation that would provide cures and hope for millions of Americans and their families.

Clearly the reasoned arguments of our scientists, a plurality of our citizens and the passionate pleas of patient advocates have not been enough to sway the President on this issue. I must respectfully say to President Bush that this veto is, in a word, wrong.

I’m a huge believer in overcoming challenges and am excited to announce that I will be forming Cures and Hope USA, a non-partisan, pro-stem cell educational and political advocacy organization dedicated to building nationwide support for stem cell research, including embryonic stem cell research (ESC). Cures and Hope USA’s focus will be to educate the electorate on all forms of stem cell research so that voters will make informed decisions when they enter the voting booth in 2008. I look forward to sharing more information about Cures and Hope USA at a later time.

While I am deeply saddened by the veto, I am hopeful that in the not too distant future we will have a Congress, a Senate and a President who will do all they can to ensure that this research moves forward. The battle, as they say, is far from over.