[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    FROZEN EMBRYOS ARE BEING ADOPTED

  (Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, Hannah is a happy 2\1/2\-year-
old little girl. She is a normal, healthy toddler discovering the joys 
of life. In a few days I hope to meet Hannah and when I do, I will 
reassure her that there is no such thing as a ``spare'' or ``leftover'' 
person.
  Although she may not yet understand what that means, her parents sure 
do. They understand perfectly, because little Hannah used to be a 
frozen embryo in an invitro fertilization clinic. She was what those 
who support embryonic stem cell research--research that destroys human 
embryos--callously call ``spare'' and ``leftover'' embryos.
  But Hannah is neither ``spare'' nor ``leftover,'' despite the fact 
that she spent a considerable amount of time in a deep-freeze tank that 
served as her frozen orphanage. The perky toddler could have been 
fodder for researchers, but instead today is talking a blue streak, and 
in a few years will go to school.
  Mr. Speaker, the story of Hannah and other adopted embryos 
underscores why we should not spend Federal tax dollars to destroy 
human embryos to steal their precious stem cells. These stem cells are 
not ours to take. And given the breathtaking discoveries from adult 
stem cell research, which does not rely on destroying human embryos, 
arguments for federally funding embryonic stem cells is less persuasive 
than ever.

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