[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 11, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       STEM-CELL EXECUTIVE ORDER

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the distinct honor and 
privilege of witnessing an historic and defining moment in our Nation's 
history, one that I believe will fundamentally alter the course of 
science and medicine in the same manner as did the discovery of the 
first vaccine or X-ray or other significant scientific and medical 
discoveries in this country.
  On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban 
on the Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. As someone who 
has lived with a spinal cord injury for over 28 years, I have always 
held onto the hope that one day I might walk again.
  But this executive order is not about me or even about spinal cord 
injuries. It is about the millions of people living with chronic and 
disabling diseases, illnesses, and conditions for which this research 
may one day hold the promise of new treatments and cures. It is about 
responsible investment into sciences and technologies that will ensure 
our Nation's continued economic competitiveness into the 21st century.
  There is still much work to be done, and I look forward to working 
with my congressional colleagues on this issue to ensure that 
responsible policies based on sound science are enacted.
  This is truly an historic event.

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