[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 19, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6393-S6395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise today to address the issue of 
embryonic stem cell research and cloning. The two issues are 
inexplicably tied together. I want to discuss this in the narrow 
context of Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and 
cloning. The two are tied together in what is currently being 
discussed. They take an embryo, raise it to a certain age, kill the 
embryo, take the stem cell out of the embryo--the young stem cells 
inside that are reproducing on a rapid basis--and use those in 
research, or use those for human development and in the capacity of 
making other organs in the future.
  The next step will be to take the Presiding Officer's DNA material, 
my DNA material, the Official Reporter's DNA material, or the DNA 
material of some of the new interns, take it out, and put it into an 
embryo that has been denuclized, take that DNA material, put it into 
the embryo, and start the growth that is again taking place so you will 
have a cloned individual.
  That is an individual who has exactly the same DNA as somebody else. 
Scientists grow it to a certain age, kill the embryo, and take those 
stem cells from that embryo to be used to make an organ, or make brain 
cells, or make something else.
  These two topics are tied together. It is a gate which shouldn't 
open.
  Initially, I think we need to talk about Federal funding in Congress. 
We need to discuss the issue raised regarding Federal funding of 
destructive embryonic research. My position is that federally funded 
human embryonic stem cell research is illegal, it is immoral, and it is 
unnecessary for where we are and what we know today. We have other 
solutions that are legal, ethical, moral, and superior to where we are 
going with these Federal funds today regarding embryonic stem cell 
research and cloning.
  The issue of destructive embryo research has come into better focus 
over the past few weeks as the new administration prepares to take 
definitive action on the Clinton-era guidelines which call the 
destruction of human embryos for the purposes of subsequent federal 
funding for the cells that have been derived through the process of 
embryo destruction.
  Currently, we say, OK. You can't destroy the embryo, but you can use 
what is taken from the destruction of

[[Page S6394]]

that embryo. It would be like saying of the Presiding Officer, you 
can't kill him, but you can take his heart, you can take his lungs and 
brain, and his eyes out. And, if you get those, even though somebody 
kills him, that is OK.
  Well, that doesn't seem to be right to most of us. It certainly 
doesn't seem to be right to me, nor the Presiding Officer. Yet that is 
what is being proposed, and currently taking what applies under the 
Clinton-era guidelines which call for the destruction of human embryos 
for the purpose of subsequent Federal funding for the cells that have 
been derived from the process of embryo destruction.
  During the Presidential campaign, then Governor Bush stated, in 
response to a questionnaire, ``I oppose using Federal funds to perform 
fetal tissue research from induced abortions. Taxpayer funds should not 
underwrite research that involves the destruction of live human 
embryos.''
  Later, after assuming the Presidency, his spokesman, Ari Fleischer, 
stated that the President, ``would oppose federally funded research for 
experimentation on embryonic stem cells that require live human embryos 
to be discarded or destroyed.''
  I would like to applaud the President for his bold and principled 
stand in defense of the most innocent human life. It has never been, 
and it will never be, acceptable to kill one person for the benefit of 
another--no matter how big, or how promising the purported benefit.
  Few issues make this point as clearly as the issue of destructive 
embryo research.
  As my colleagues are well aware, Congress outlawed federal funding 
for harmful embryo research in 1996 and has maintained that prohibition 
ever since. The ban is broad-based and specific; funds cannot be used 
for ``research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, 
discarded or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death.'' The 
intent of Congress is clear--if a research project requires the 
destruction of human embryos no federal funds should be used for that 
project.
  The NIH, during the Clinton administration, published guidelines that 
sought to circumvent this language. At the time, several of my 
colleagues, and myself, sent a letter to the NIH stating our opposition 
to the guidelines.
  It read, in part,

       Despite their title, the NIH guidelines do not regulate 
     stem cell research. Rather, they regulate the means by which 
     researchers may obtain and destroy live human embryos in 
     order to receive Federal funds for subsequent stem cell 
     research. Clearly, the destruction of human embryos is an 
     integral part of the contemplated research, in violation of 
     the law.

  That is simply because to get embryonic stem cells you have to kill 
the embryo. You kill an embryo to ``harvest'' stem cells and use them. 
This is destructive human embryonic research.
  The letter that I cited was signed by, among others, Senators Trent 
Lott, Don Nickles, John McCain, Michael DeWine, and John Ashcroft.
  I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                               Washington, DC,

                                                 February 4, 2000.
     Stem Cell Guidelines,
     NIH Office of Science Policy,
     Bethesda, MD.
       To Whom It May Concern: Since 1996 Congress has banned 
     federal funding for ``research in which a human embryo or 
     embryos are destroyed.'' We believe the draft guidelines 
     published December 2 by the National Institutes of Health for 
     ``human pluripotent stem cell research'' do not comply with 
     this law, which we support and which remains in effect.
       Despite their title, the NIH guidelines do not regulate 
     stem cell research. Rather, they regulate the means by which 
     researchers may obtain and destroy live human embryos in 
     order to receive federal funds for subsequent stem cell 
     research. Clearly, the destruction of human embryos is an 
     integral part of the contemplated research, in violation of 
     the law.
       Because Congress never intended for the Executive Branch to 
     facilitate destructive embryo research, we urge the National 
     Institutes of Health to withdraw these guidelines as contrary 
     to the law and Congressional intent.
         Sam Brownback, Pete V. Domenici, Don Nickles, George V. 
           Voinovich, Trent Lott, John Ashcroft, Chuck Hagel, Rick 
           Santorum, Kit Bond, Bob Smith, Rod Grams, John Kyl, 
           Jeff Sessions, Michael B. Enzi, Mike DeWine, Jesse 
           Helms, Tom Harkin, Conrad Burns, Jim Bunning, John 
           McCain.

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, in order to provide the justification 
for the NIH guidelines, the Department of Health and Human Services 
wrote a legal opinion reviewing the ban just mentioned above and 
whether or not Federal money could be used to conduct research on so-
called human pluripotent stem cells that had been derived from an 
embryo. My conclusion--and that of many of my colleagues--is that this 
research is illegal. it is illegal for this reason: the deliberate 
killing of a human embryo is an essential component of the contemplated 
research; and without the destruction of the embryo the proposed 
research would be impossible, which brings us to a discussion of the 
morality of this research.
  Recently there was a bill introduced, the Stem Cell Research Act of 
2001, seemingly based on the NBAC recommendations, which seeks to allow 
Federal funding for researchers to kill living human embryos.
  Under this bill federal researchers would be allowed to obtain their 
own supply of living human embryos, which they would then be allowed to 
kill for research purposes.
  The very act of harvesting cells from live human embryos results in 
the death of the embryo. Therefore, if enacted, this bill would result 
in the deliberate destruction of human embryos--human life in its most 
infant stage.
  This bill even violates current Federal policy on fetal tissue, which 
allows harvesting of tissue only after an abortion was performed for 
other reasons and the unborn child is already dead. Under this bill, 
the Federal Government will use tax dollars to kill live embryos for 
the immediate and direct purpose of using their parts for research. Is 
that something that we want to do? I don't think so.
  Taxpayer funding of this research is problematic for a variety of 
reasons. First among those concerns is that if Congress were to approve 
this bill, it would officially declare for the first time in our 
Nation's history that Government may exploit and destroy human life for 
its own, or somebody else's purposes. We don't want to go there.
  Human embryonic stem cell research is also unnecessary.
  I think there is a point that is lost to many in the broader debate 
about when human life begins. Where should we protect it, and how do we 
protect? But the point is that human embryonic stem cell research, and, 
thus, cloning, is also unnecessary.
  There are legitimate areas of research which are showing more promise 
than embryonic stem cell research, areas which do not create moral and 
ethical difficulties.
  In the past, Congress has increased funding for NIH. New advances in 
adult stem cell research, being reported almost weekly, show more 
promise than destructive embryo research, and I believe should receive 
a significant increase in funding.
  The Presiding Officer, myself, and everyone else in the room have 
stem cells within us.
  It has been a discovery within the past couple of years. These stem 
cells reproduce other cells within our body. We have them in our fat 
tissue, our bones, and our brain. These are cells that can now be taken 
out, grown, and they have multiple actions of other material, other 
tissue they can replace. It is very exciting and very promising.
  It does not have the ethical problems of killing another life and 
does not have the immune rejection problems like taking DNA material 
from another life and putting it into someone else. It is our own DNA. 
It is our own material, and it is showing great promise. I want to read 
some of the significant advances that have taken place in recent times 
in adult stem cell research, which I strongly support, and I support 
our increasing funding in a substantial way for adult stem cell 
research.
  Research has shown the pluripotent nature of adult stem cells. In 
other words, they can have a multitude of options. Research shows the 
ability of a single adult bone marrow stem cell to repopulate the bone 
marrow, forming functional marrow and blood cells, and also 
differentiating into functional cells of liver, lung, gastrointestinal 
tract--esophagus, stomach, intestine, colon--and skin, with indications 
it

[[Page S6395]]

could also form functional heart and skeletal muscle. The evidence 
shows the stem cells home to sites of tissue damage.
  In other words, these stem cells can go to the place where the damage 
is and start to reproduce and build up the damaged material.
  This was a May 4, 2001, study that was just released on this 
pluripotent nature of adult stem cells. Adult stem cells can repair 
cardiac damage.
  Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found adult bone marrow 
stem cells could form functional heart muscle and blood vessels in mice 
which had heart damage. They note their results demonstrate the 
potential of adult bone marrow stem cells for heart repair and suggest 
a therapeutic strategy that eventually could benefit patients with 
heart attacks. The results also suggest that circulating stem cells may 
naturally contribute to repair of tissues.

  Also, scientists at Duke University Medical Center showed that adult 
stem cells from a liver could transform into heart tissue when injected 
into mice. They say, ``Recent evidence suggests that adult-derived stem 
cells, like their embryonic counterparts, are pluripotent. . . .'' They 
have a multitude of options of this stem cell conforming into bone, 
heart, and other types of tissue, and ``these results demonstrate adult 
liver-derived stem cells respond to the tissue microenvironment. . . 
.''
  In other words, what is the environment that the tissue is placed 
into, and that is what it is responding to and developing.
  Researchers at New York Medical College report results that show 
regeneration of heart muscle is possible after heart attack, possibly 
from heart adult stem cell.
  I have several others I want to read, but one in particular I think 
is interesting is that scientists have found stem cells in our fat. So 
now we can take fat stem cells, of which we do not have a shortage in 
America, and those adult stem cells can be derived and made into other 
types of cells and grown.
  A new report shows umbilical cord blood can provide effective 
treatment of various blood disorders in adults. It had previously been 
assumed that there were too few stem cells in cord blood to treat 
adults and only children were treated.
  The results of this study show that cord blood stem cells can 
proliferate extensively and provide sufficient numbers of cells for 
adult treatments.
  My point is we do not have to destroy another life to have the great 
success of stem cell work. We can take it out of our own bodies. We can 
take it out of our own fat and be able to grow these things, and we do 
not need to go down the route of what is called therapeutic cloning, to 
which destructive embryonic stem-cell research is going to lead.
  In the future, people are going to say they want embryonic stem 
cells, but what they really want is to be able to clone you, to clone 
another individual, take that DNA material from you, from me, from 
somebody in this room, destroy a young human embryo, put the DNA 
material in there, start this to reproducing for a while, kill that 
embryo, take the stem cells out, and work with those because they are 
exact copies of the DNA from us. We do not want to open this door of 
going the route of cloning, and that is where this is leading.
  Mr. President, that is why today I have spoken out on this topic. We 
should not be going this route. We do not need to go this route. It is 
illegal for us currently to go this route. I ask that we stop. This is 
a view that I believe the President shares. In fact, in a letter 
written to the Culture of Life Foundation, President Bush states:

       I oppose Federal funding for stem-cell research that 
     involves destroying living human embryos.

  I ask unanimous consent that the President's letter be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                              The White House,

                                     Washington, DC, May 18, 2001.
     Mr. Robert A. Best,
     President, The Culture of Life Foundation, Inc., Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. Best: Thank you for your letter about the 
     important issue of stem cell research.
       I share your concern and believe that we can and must do 
     more to find the causes and cures of diseases that affect the 
     lives of too many Americans.
       That's why I have proposed to double funding for National 
     institutes of Health medical research on important diseases 
     that affect so many American families, such as breast cancer. 
     My proposal represents the largest funding increase in the 
     Institutes' history, I also have called for an extension of 
     the Research and Development tax credit to help encourage 
     companies to continue research into life-saving treatments.
       I oppose Federal funding for stem-cell research that 
     involves destroying living human embryos. I support 
     innovative medical research on life-threatening and 
     debilitating diseases, including promising research on stem 
     cells from adult tissue.
       We have the technology to find these cures, and I want to 
     make sure that the resources are available as well. Only 
     through a greater understanding through research will we be 
     able to find cures that will bring new hope and health to 
     millions of Americans.
           Sincerely,
                                                   George W. Bush.

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I fully anticipate that President Bush 
will settle the issue of Federal funding of embryonic stem cell 
research within the context of the existing embryo research ban in the 
very near future, and I hope we take up the issue of cloning and ban 
it. It is a place we should not and do not need to go. I applaud the 
President in advance for his defense, for his clear statement on 
cloning, as well, and his defense of the most innocent human life.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The time of the Senator from Kansas 
has expired.
  Under previous order, the time until 11:30 a.m. is under the control 
of the Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durbin, or his designee. The Senator 
from South Carolina, Mr. Hollings, controls 10 minutes of that time.

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