Contact: Kate Constalie, [email protected], 608-266-5490
MADISON, WI – Lifesaving medical research could become illegal under a recent Republican proposal. Senate Bill 423, which will ban research that could one day lead to cures for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, received a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety today. Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) released the following statement:
“Wisconsin has long been a global leader in bioscience research and lifesaving medical advances. While Republican legislators are distracted by efforts to block research and outsource Wisconsin jobs, Democrats remain committed to building on our state’s strong bioscience foundation and encouraging new medical advances. I urge my colleagues to reject this dangerous and misguided attack that will block the cutting edge research that could one day lead to cures for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”
According to a report by BioForward, Wisconsin’s bioscience industry generates $27 billion in economic activity a year and supports over 105,000 direct and indirect Wisconsin jobs. Researchers have pointed out that Wisconsin already follows the highest level of ethical standards and federal laws for medical research. BioForward, Cures for Tomorrow, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce are opposed to this bill.
