[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10964]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




AGAINST FORCING PRO-LIFE COMMUNITY TO FUND EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I have enormous respect for the gentleman 
from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and for the sincerity of his purpose in 
bringing forward legislation today that would fund the destruction of 
human embryos for the purpose of scientific research with Federal tax 
dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, I am not a scientist. I do know that there have been 
more than 60 successful treatments using adult stem cells; there have 
been zero treatments developed using embryonic stem cells.
  But let us be clear today about this debate. Embryonic stem cell 
research today, despite my objection and the objection of tens of 
millions of pro-life Americans, embryonic stem cell research is legal 
in America today. It goes on using private dollars every day. The 
debate on the floor today that the gentleman from Delaware just 
referred to, his legislation has to do with using Federal tax dollars 
to fund research that involves the destruction of human embryos. I 
believe it is morally wrong to destroy human embryos for the purposes 
of research, but I believe it is doubly morally wrong to force millions 
of pro-life Americans to see their tax dollars used to support research 
that they find morally offensive.
  Let the debate begin.

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