San Francisco protesters rally against Trump administration's proposed medical research cuts
Elizabeth Blackburn was a Nobel winner for her groundbreaking discovery of telomeres, protective caps found on the ends of the human chromosome. CBS Bay Area caught up with her as she painted the sign she'd later display at a protest in San Francisco.
"The U.S. has been a beacon for the kind of research that I and so many others do, which is to understand how life works," Blackburn told CBS Bay Area in between drawing her signs.
The funding Blackburn relied on for her studies is now threatened by the Trump Administration, who proposed millions in funding cuts to medical research.
Most at risk is the National Institutes of Health, a massive research agency responsible for giving grants to universities and independent scientists researching all medical anomalies from cancer to infectious diseases. Halting funds would spell disaster for hundreds of researchers who rely on federal money to continue their studies.
Blackburn said this decision would cost the United States decades of valuable gains in medical knowledge.
"We want everybody to understand, not just scientists," Blackburn said. "We want everybody to understand that this is not something that we can just lightly throw away."
Blackburn brandished her sign proudly. It read: "Got polio? Me neither, thanks to science."
Blackburn was joined by hundreds of doctors, researchers, and scientists in front of city hall.
This protest was one of nearly 30 demonstrations erupting across the nation. Wendy Miller, a cancer survivor who came out to the rally, said science saves lives.
"I've had two separate occurrences of breast cancer with two separate diagnoses," Miller said. "The difference in my treatment from 2009 and 2020 was phenomenal and it's all based on science."
Miller stood opposite Casey Harper, who was optimistic about Friday's demonstration. She said she had hope.
"I'm here standing up for what I think is right and what I believe in, although I don't believe in science because science is a fact. It does not require my belief," Harper said.
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