Cancer & The Legislature: Assaults On The Disease From Two Fronts Face Similar Obstacles

Cancer is taking center stage before the 80th Texas Legislature in two different forms.

Check this from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

AUSTIN - Faced with declining federal research funds and fierce competition from other states, Texas lawmakers are drawing up plans to spend billions of dollars to find a cure for cancer, officials said Saturday.

Promoted in part by leading Texas research institutions, current and former state officials and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who lives in Austin, the project would cost some $3 billion and would ultimately require voter approval, officials familiar with the discussions said.

The Star-Telegram story, however, focuses more on logistics, research issues, and funding as they may relate to cancer research than a similar Houston Chronicle story, which focuses more on a study that spawned clean air legislation designed to curb cancer:

Two Texas legislators have filed identical bills that would mandate stricter monitoring of air contaminants and enforcement of air pollution rules, saying they were disturbed by a new study that found a possible link between cancer and hazardous air pollutants from the Houston Ship Channel.

“I have long said that families along the Ship Channel corridor deserve better than they’ve gotten, and it’s past time for the state of Texas to act decisively,” Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, said Friday.

The companion bill is being carried by Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, who said, “We need something. There is nothing out there right now. We need accountability.”

For the first time, an 18-month epidemiological study by the Texas School of Public Health released Thursday found a possible connection between cancer risks and air pollutants being emitted in Harris County.

Just as the cancer research and the clean air legislation have similar goals, they will also face similar obstacles.

While clean air has become the neuvo cause célèbre of Texas thanks to more than a dozen coal-fired power plants that TXU is attempting to cram down citizens throats (with the assistance of Governor Perry), the fact remains that it will be difficult to get things accomplished in the Legislature related both to the clean air legislation and cancer research.

First off, with regard to clean air, many, many Republican legislators will be under tremendous pressure to veto these measures from the business lobby, the energy lobby, and the limited-government-anti-regulation crowd.

Second, I find it difficult to think that a three-billion-dollar voter-approved cancer initiative could be accomplished without concessions that allow for stem cell research. The Star-Telegram touches on that a tad:

Efforts to expand cancer research funding in Texas, where Republicans control every statewide office and both houses of the Legislature, haven’t included discussions about embryonic stem cell research, said state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland.

I find that almost unbelievable. Perhaps they haven’t discussed that because it could tear apart the entire package before anyone gets a chance to wrap it, much less top it with a bow.

Face it: Texas Republicans aren’t New York or California Republicans. The vast majority of Republicans in the Legislature will not cotton to a penny for stem cell research in such a bold measure even if John Sharp and Lance Armstrong (two people involved in the measure) danced a tango down Congress Avenue.

The often nutty manifesto that is the Republican Party of Texas Platform has some very strong language about stem cell research:

Conscience Clause - We believe that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, any employees of hospitals and insurance companies, health care organizations, medical and scientific research students, and any employee should be protected by Texas law if they conscientiously object to participate in practices that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs, including but not limited to abortion, the prescription for and dispensing of drugs with abortifacient potential, human
cloning, embryonic stem cell research, eugenic screenings, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration. We call on the Texas Legislature to pass legislation to strengthen and clarify the current conscience clause in the Occupational Code to include the above-mentioned persons and practices.
Fetal Tissue Harvesting - We support legislation prohibiting experimentation with human fetal tissue and prohibiting the use of human fetal tissue or organs for experimentation or commercial sale. Until such time that fetal tissue harvesting is illegal, any product containing fetal tissue shall be so labeled.
Stem Cell Research - We commend the President for banning most government funding of human embryo stem cell harvesting. We oppose any legislation that would allow for the creation and/or killing of human embryos for medical research. We encourage stem cell research using cells from umbilical cords, from adults, and from any other means which does not kill human embryos. We oppose any state funding of research that destroys/kills human embryos. We encourage the adoption of existing embryos. We call for legislation to withhold state and/or federal funding from institutions that engage in scientific research involving the killing of human embryos or human cloning.

While I don’t think we’ll see any embryo adoption agencies sprouting up soon, I do think that many in the Lege will adhere to the language in the platform lest they offend the far right and end up with a primary opponent.

Only time will tell how this will work out.