[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6735-S6736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I would like to follow up on the 
statement just recently made on the floor by my colleague and friend 
from the State of Kansas, Senator Brownback. I deeply respect his 
personal, strong, moral, and religious convictions when it comes to 
this issue. But I respectfully disagree with his conclusion.
  In August of 2001, just a few weeks before the 9/11 attacks, 
President George W. Bush made an announcement which was virtually 
unprecedented. The President made the announcement that he was, by 
executive order, going to restrict medical research in America.
  I can't recall that ever happening before. Perhaps there had been 
decisions made at lower levels that could parallel this, but this was 
unprecedented, that our leader, our President, would announce that as a 
matter of policy the Federal Government, the U.S. Government, would 
limit research, medical research.
  Of course, his announcement on how he was going to do it left many 
people puzzled. It was all over the question of embryonic stem cell 
research. It is a complicated area that I don't profess any special 
expertise in speaking to. But my understanding is that when a husband 
and wife are unable to conceive a child in the normal way, they turn to 
a process known as in vitro fertilization where they try to replicate 
in a laboratory what happens in normal human life. They bring together 
the egg from the woman, the sperm from the man, and join them into a 
life which is then implanted into the womb of the mother.
  I think it is miraculous and a source of great happiness and joy for 
couples who otherwise would not have children.
  There are some religions which believe that this whole process is 
immoral, that we should not allow anyone to engage in this kind of in 
vitro fertilization. I happen to believe from an ethical viewpoint that 
if a husband and wife in a loving relationship are so determined to 
have a child that they will go to this length and this extent and then 
God blesses them with a child, that is a good thing. That is my 
conclusion. That is how I come down on it. So I would not ban this 
process. I think this process is a positive thing, a positive family 
value.
  But the process, much like the ordinary human process of conception 
and creation, is not one that is absolutely perfect. In the ordinary 
process of human conception not all of the communions of this sperm and 
egg result in human life. Neither do they in the in vitro fertilization 
process. So at the end of the day when these couples are seeking to 
have a baby there is left over these potential lives in this little 
glass dish in a laboratory.
  Our debate is about those potential lives. They will never become 
children. They never have a chance to become children or babies, 
obviously, unless they are implanted in a mother's womb.
  That is the reality. What happens is that many of these couples, 
after spending extraordinary amounts of

[[Page S6736]]

money, end up freezing these leftover embryonic stem cells in case 
their effort is unsuccessful so they can try again.
  When they are successful the question then arises, what happens to 
these embryonic stem cells? If there is no purpose for them, many of 
these couples say, Discard them; we don't need them anymore. And they 
are discarded and thrown away
  So the question which we face is whether or not those stem cells 
should be taken and used in medical research. Why would we want to? 
Because they are special. Because of the nature of these stem cells, 
they have the greatest potential to be helpful in curing diseases and 
in dealing with medical challenges that no other branch of research has 
been able to address.
  This stem cell research was addressed by President George W. Bush in 
August of 2001. He came up with a morally curious position. He said 
that all of the stem cell lines that had been created to the date 
preceding his speech could be used for medical research, but no others 
in the future.
  I don't follow the moral argument of how some stem cells can be used 
with immunity and from that date forward no others can be used. Sadly, 
the stem cell lines that he identified were very limited. Some had been 
contaminated. Their potential for medical research is extremely 
restricted. So the debate has moved from the President's decision to 
Capitol Hill.
  The House of Representatives has passed legislation. If you would 
pick up the calendar of the Senate, you would find H.R. 810. H.R. 810 
is a legislative measure that has passed the House of Representatives 
and has come to the Senate and has been sitting on this calendar for 1 
year. In the course of that period of time, we have received the 
assurance of the Republican leader, Bill Frist, a medical doctor, that 
he will support the passage of stem cell research. For 1 year we have 
been waiting, 1 year in which thousands of Americans suffering from 
diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's disease, 
spinal cord injuries have been waiting. They have been waiting to get 
on the political calendar of the United States Senate. I don't 
understand why we have not called up this bill for consideration.
  Look at what we have done in the month of June. We have considered 
two constitutional amendments which have been defeated, neither of 
which are high priorities for Americans. Don't take my word for it. In 
a poll of Americans they said, pick out the most important things you 
think the Senate can work on, and out of 40 choices that people 
volunteered, No. 32 on the list was gay marriage--out of 40 choices--
and the flag amendment didn't even make the list. We ate up the 
precious time of the Senate during the month of June on these measures 
which were defeated. Weeks went by when we could have considered stem 
cell research, medical research that offers an opportunity for cures 
for people who are suffering across America.
  Then the Republican majority leader said, it isn't enough that we are 
going to spend time on constitutional amendments going nowhere; we are 
now going to consider a change in the estate tax which will give 
extraordinary tax breaks to the richest people in America. The estate 
tax affects 3 out of every 1,000 Americans who die. Only 3 out of 1,000 
pay any Federal estate tax. They are very wealthy people. By and large 
they make a lot of money. America has been very good to them. They have 
enjoyed a comfortable life because of their own talents and perhaps the 
good fortune of being born into a wealthy family.
  Senator Frist has suggested that rather than focus on the tens of 
thousands of Americans who would be benefited by stem cell medical 
research, we need to focus on a handful of Americans who are well off 
and give them a bigger tax break.
  I am afraid that is why most Americans are losing hope in this 
Congress. They look at this Republican-led Congress and wonder, What 
are they thinking? Why aren't we debating an energy policy for America 
when gasoline prices are going through the roof? Why aren't we talking 
about health insurance for the 46 million Americans without health 
insurance and for the millions who have health insurance that isn't 
worth much? Why aren't we spending time passing the stem cell medical 
research bill, which passed on a bipartisan basis in the U.S. House of 
Representatives?
  There is no explanation. The only explanation is, it doesn't fit into 
the campaign game plan of the Republican leadership. Do you know why? 
Because when you ask the American people, do you want us to move 
forward on medical research involving stem cells, 70 percent of the 
American people say yes.
  It is an overwhelmingly popular bipartisan issue which the Republican 
side is scared to death of. That is unfortunate. We need to call on 
this.
  I guarantee that when we return after the Fourth of July recess, the 
month of July is going to be stem cell month in the Senate. We are 
going to, with regularity, come to the floor and not only speak to this 
issue but ask unanimous consent to move to this issue. And every single 
day, the Republican leadership will have a chance to say, yes, to give 
hope to millions of people across America who want to see this medical 
research go forward or, no, to stick to their narrow political agenda 
in the hopes that the American people won't notice. I think they will. 
I think a lot of people will notice this one.
  I have had a chance to meet with people in Chicago and across 
Illinois suffering from these diseases. They are heart-breaking 
meetings. Sit down with the parents of a child suffering from juvenile 
diabetes and let them tell you what their life is like as they wake up 
their little girl two times in the middle of the night to take a blood 
sample to see if perhaps her diabetes is out of control. Talk to the 
family of that young man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease who looks 
like the picture of health but confined to a wheelchair and can no 
longer speak. His wife speaks for him while tears roll down his face. 
Talk to my friend suffering from Parkinson's disease, including my 
great friend and colleague, Congressman Lane Evans from Rock Island, 
IL, a young man suffering from Parkinson's and decided that he must 
step aside from Congress because of this battle.
  Speak to those people and tell them that we have higher priorities 
than this medical research. I don't think you can. I can't. That is why 
stem cell month is going to be the month of July. This Senate is going 
to have its chance. We are going to continue to bring this up until 
Senator Frist keeps his promise to bring this measure before the Senate 
before he leaves at the end of this year.
  We are running out of time. America is running out of time. We need 
this medical research, and we need it now. There are no good excuses 
left.

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