[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 82 (Tuesday, June 15, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H4140-H4141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HUMAN EMBRYO STEM CELL RESEARCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, many people have probably seen 
the recent news coverage about Nancy Reagan's hope to see more funding 
go to human embryo stem cell research in the hopes of finding a cure 
for Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, recently Newsweek ran a cover story on 
this issue.
  I am a physician, and I used to care for many patients with 
Alzheimer's disease, and I know first hand the anguish it causes to 
lose a loved one or to have a family member with this condition. I have 
three concerns that I would like to raise about this debate.
  First of all, I am concerned that advocates for this embryo stem cell 
research are unethically playing on the emotions of millions of 
Americans. Of all the conditions that have been proposed as possibly 
treatable with stem cells, whether embryonic or adult stem cells, 
Alzheimer's disease is one of the least likely where stem cells could 
be useful.
  I say this because on autopsy, the brains on Alzheimer's disease 
patients do not show a pure dropout of neurons. If it was a loss of 
normal nerve cells, cell therapy might have potential. The fact is the 
brains of Alzheimer's disease patients typically contain lesions called 
senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques, which 
accumulate on the outside of neurons, consist mainly of deposits of a 
protein called beta-amyloid. Chemical and cellular markers of 
inflammation are also present.
  We need to find out what causes these plaques and how we can prevent 
them. It is not clear at all if the problem with Alzheimer's disease is 
treatable with cell replacement therapy. Most experts I have contacted 
feel that the more promising solution will be early detection, very 
early detection, and medication to prevent progression and not cell 
replacement therapy.
  Secondly, I am quite concerned that people are being falsely led to 
believe that it is only embryo stem cells that might have potential 
here.
  Mr. Speaker, the following diseases have been successfully treated 
with adult stem cells from humans: Parkinson's disease, blindness has 
been treated, relief of symptom of lupus, multiple sclerosis, and 
rheumatoid arthritis; the cure of combined immunodeficiency diseases, 
the treatment of several different types of leukemia, solid tumors, 
neuroblastomas, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple sclerosis. Indeed, 
the list goes on and on.

                              {time}  1730

  However, there have been no successful treatments of any humans with 
embryo stem cells, and, as I have said repeatedly on this floor, they 
do not have an animal model of successfully treating an animal with 
embryo stem cells. Indeed, it is unclear if they will ever have 
clinical usefulness.

[[Page H4141]]

  Last, I would like to say the President of the United States, George 
Bush, is unfairly being portrayed in the press as standing in the way 
of this research progressing. The truth is embryo stem cell research is 
perfectly legal in the United States today. The debate is who is going 
to fund this research.
  Many of us feel that this research should be funded by private 
dollars and not funded by the American taxpayer because, number one, it 
involves the destruction of a human embryo, a human life, and, number 
two, it is quite unclear if it will ever have any clinical 
significance. Indeed, some groups, I must say, are engaged in what I 
believe is deceptive communications on this issue. A case in point I 
will cite is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
  The JDRF claims that embryo stem cell research is the most promising 
research. Their lobbying packet contains in its table of contents 
``embryo stem cell research, stem cell research, our best hope for a 
cure.'' However, JDRF had a $80 million research and education budget. 
They only spent $3 million on embryo stem cells, which is 4 percent of 
their budget, but, Mr. Speaker, they spent $15 million, four times as 
much, 20 percent of their budget, on adult stem cell research.
  Why is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation saying that embryo 
stem cell research has the most potential but they are spending four 
times as much money on adult stem cell research?
  The truth is we have a multi-billion dollar biotechnology industry in 
America today, and they are spending nothing on this research. The 
advocates for this research are clamoring to get the American taxpayer 
to pay for it. In my opinion, that is an insult to the legacy of Ronald 
Reagan, asking the Federal Government to pick up the tab for something 
of questionable value, when private industry would reap huge benefits 
if it really had the potential it did have.
  I think President George Bush is making the right move, and we need 
to support him in this decision.

                          ____________________