[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2005

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                             HON. MARY BONO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2006

  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Representatives 
Castle and DeGette for their tireless efforts on behalf of H.R. 810, 
the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. This important 
legislation provides much needed expansion of federal policy while 
implementing stricter ethical guidelines for this research.
  I would be remiss in my commendation if I failed to mention the work 
of former first lady Nancy Reagan, who has been a true leader on this 
issue. I would like to reiterate a point made in one of her oft quoted 
statements on this issue, ``We have lost so much time already. I just 
really can't bear to lose any more.'' Time is one commodity that we 
cannot create, we cannot stop and we cannot afford to waste. The 
American people have made clear their support for this research, and I 
am proud that Congress has acted. We have passed this critical stem 
cell legislation in both the House and the Senate. We are on the brink 
of moving forward in a scientific endeavor that has the potential to 
ease the pain and suffering of millions--to be stopped here is to 
deprive millions of hope.
  While I commend President Bush for taking the initiative in 2001 to 
provide Federal funds for stem cell research, I am deeply disappointed 
with the decision to move ahead with this veto. Many human diseases 
arise from a defect in a single gene; muscular dystrophy, cystic 
fibrosis, and Huntington's disease, to name a few. Embryonic research 
provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand and perhaps correct 
some of the errors that result in these medical conditions.
  My own State of California has already moved ahead by establishing 
the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which will devote $3 billion 
to embryonic stem cell over the next 10 years. As the people of 
California did, Congress now has the opportunity to permit embryonic 
stem cell research, which will allow scientists throughout the entire 
country to search for cures and to stay competitive with the rest of 
the world.
  The President's veto today is not in line with the hope that he 
created in 2001. His leadership at that time opened a critical door to 
some of the most promising research of our generation, and embryonic 
stem cell research will enhance and advance that vision of progress. I 
will be voting to override this veto and I urge my colleagues to do the 
same.

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