[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 96 (Wednesday, July 11, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H3868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             APPROVE FEDERAL FUNDING OF STEM CELL RESEARCH

  (Ms. ESHOO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I was recently visited in my office here in 
Washington by two of my young constituents, Mary Lucas, 9 years old, 
and Kelsey Kagle, 15. They both have juvenile diabetes.
  Mary Lucas, the 9-year-old, said something to me that has remained 
with me and I think always will. She told me that if we found a vaccine 
or a cure for diabetes, and if there was not enough for everyone, she 
would give up her share to someone who needed it more than her. Her 
unselfish words, I think, are instructive to us.
  How will we cure juvenile diabetes? One promising method is by 
investing in stem cell research, which has the potential to cure 
diseases that afflict tens of millions of Americans today, diseases 
like cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
  According to a recent article in the New York Times, a study by the 
NIH sites the dazzling array of treatments that may result from 
research on both embryonic and adult stem cells. The report makes clear 
that embryonic stem cells are clearly superior to adult stem cells for 
stem cell research.
  Most Americans understand that stem cell research is not about 
destroying lives, but prolonging and bringing quality to and curing 
American lives today. So let us get this out of political science and 
keep it in the hands of the real scientists that understand this, and 
let us take a giant step, Mr. President, and allow Federal funding for 
stem cell research.

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