[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 68 (Friday, May 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    URGING THE SENATE TO PASS THE STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT

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                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2006

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, one year ago the House passed the Stem Cell 
Research Enhancement Act, by a vote of 238-194. I was pleased to see 
this Chamber put science before ideology. The promise of finding cures 
for a whole host of debilitating diseases seemed bright.
  But the year has come and gone, and the Senate has yet to take up its 
version of the legislation. Further delay is unacceptable. Today, I 
join my colleagues in the House to urge the Senate to schedule a vote 
on this critical, life-saving, and life-affirming measure.
  This bill takes an ethical and moral approach to a challenging 
subject while respecting the value of life. It allows for federal funds 
to support research on stem cell lines derived from the surplus embryos 
of fertility treatments. Fertility clinics do not need these embryos 
and they would otherwise be discarded, not implanted. It requires 
explicit written donor consent, and it does not allow stem cells to be 
sold for profit.
  Many Members of Congress like to talk about ``values.'' Today, I say 
to them: using discarded embryos to find life-saving cures is our moral 
obligation. Saving lives is precisely what we should all care about.
  Parkinson's disease, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, spinal cord 
injuries, and juvenile diabetes do not discriminate--every one of us 
has had a family member or friend whose life has been changed by one of 
these debilitating conditions. This is not and should not be a partisan 
or ideological issue. People from both ends of the political spectrum--
from Nancy Reagan to the late Christopher Reeve--have embraced the 
promise of stem cell research. It is my hope that the United States 
Senate will follow their lead.
  Cures for many serious ailments may lie in stem cell research. We owe 
it to generations of Americans and their families to help find 
treatments that could lead to an improved quality of life. I urge my 
colleagues in the Senate to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement 
Act.




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