[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E97-E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. STEVE KING

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 11, 2007

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, it's unethical to end one life in 
pursuit of helpIng others.
  I am for stem-cell research. I am for scientifically sound, ethical, 
adult stem-cell research.
  The failure of embryonic stem-cell experiments has dried up private 
research dollars. Consequently, proponents have no alternative but to 
pressure Congress for funding.
  Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that requires 
taxpayers to fund science that ends innocent human lives for the 
questionable potential of improving the lives of others.
  This legislation would divert resources from truly promising 
treatments in favor of controversial research whose benefits remain 
speculative.
  To conduct scientific research of this type, thousands of embryos, 
persons at the beginning of life, must be killed. The debate is about 
the inherent value of human life at its earliest stage. Supporters of 
embryonic stem-cell research will not take a position on when life 
begins. They know that if they do, they cannot sustain their argument.
  Moral arguments aside, it is a fact that other forms of stem-cell 
research are resulting in treatments for people who suffer from 
debilitating diseases. Adult stem cells, which are extracted from 
umbilical-cord blood, placenta,

[[Page E98]]

bone marrow, nasal mucosa, hair follicles and fact cells, are today 
successfully used in treating real people who suffer from at least 72 
specific diseases. Successes include, among the 72 diseases, 
Parkinson's Disease, Crohn's Disease, diabetes, spinal-cord injury, 
strokes, arthritis and numerous cancers, including breast, brain and 
leukemia.
  Conversely, proponents cannot name a single person with improved 
health due to embryonic stem-cell research. Embryonic stem cells may 
never produce a safe and effective treatment for any disease. The 
political hype declaring them a cure-all today cannot be sustained by 
the facts. If successful, however, the necessary next step must be to 
clone the cells. It is logistically impossible to provide enough 
embryonic stem cells without human cloning.
  Another falsehood is the excuse that the embryos would otherwise be 
thrown away. None of the embryos were created for research. Every 
embryo was created for the sole purpose of giving parenthood to those 
who yearn for it. Over 90 percent of frozen embryos are now stored by 
their parents, who hope to have more children or to provide for embryo 
adoption to other couples. At least 500,000 couples are on waiting 
lists to adopt children. For each available embryo, 45 couples wait in 
line to adopt that child.
  So far, more than 80 formerly frozen embryos have been adopted by 
families. Now these ``snowflake babies'' are giggle, screaming, playful 
children. It is a glorious miracle for couples who imagined they would 
never experience parenthood, much less pregnancy and childbirth. These 
``snowflakes,'' some of whom were frozen for 9 years, are as worthy of 
our protection as every child. They are not medical waste.
  Proponents of this research say they cannot look a paraplegic in the 
eye and say, ``We can't experiment on frozen embryos.'' I ask them, can 
you hold the ``snowflake babies'' in your arms and look their moms and 
dads in the eye and tell them, ``I wish we had experimented on your 
children before they learn to walk, to talk, to love, to laugh and 
play?''
  The American medical community has many times refused the results of 
critical research because the findings were achieved unethically. 
International standards for Permissible Medical Experiments are clear. 
The subject must be a volunteer, there must be no alternative, results 
of animal experimentation must have been proven successful, they 
subject must be able to voluntarily end the experiment, there must be 
no possibility of injury, disability, or death, and the promise must 
outweigh the risk.
  Embryonic stem-cell research violates each of these principles. 
Principles for Permissible Medical Experiments may be found in the 
military tribunals under Control Council Law No. 10, October, 1946, 
Nuremberg.

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