[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14108]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  STEM CELLS AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I make a couple of points based on what we 
just heard.
  The first has to do with stem cells. As the Presiding Officer knows, 
I am a practicing physician. I am still delivering babies on weekends 
and our breaks. I am concerned in our country because we are letting 
emotional issues far override what the science today says on stem 
cells.
  We have a lot of people who have significant diseases who have been 
convinced that the only way those diseases will ever be solved is to 
use embryonic stem cells. The dishonesty in the debate is concerning to 
me as a physician because the real breakthroughs have not been with 
embryonic stem cells.
  There are now 70 treatments being utilized every day in this country 
from stem cells derived from core blood and adult blood stem cells. 
There also is wonderful new research in the last year that says you can 
gain exactly the same pluripotent--a cell that will do anything--from 
germ cells, from altered nuclear transfer, from three different 
mechanisms to get the exact same ability to cure diseases and never 
destroy the first embryo.
  We do not hear that in the debate. We do not hear the truth of what 
the science is showing us, and we do not recognize that even though the 
Federal Government is funding, in a limited amount, embryonic stem cell 
research, the fact is, where the private money is going--it is not 
going to embryonic stem cell research, it is going to other pluripotent 
stem cell research that doesn't have anything to do with embryos.
  This debate, as a physician and as a scientist, concerns me because 
it is not based on facts or on truth. For us to continue to belie the 
fact of what the science is showing us today creates a false impression 
based on politics and false hope. There is great hope for people with 
diabetes, there is great hope for people who have neurologic injury, 
but it is not coming from embryonic stem cell research; it is coming 
from pluripotent stem cell research outside of that. During the debate 
next week, I plan on making that point. I am going to counter every 
point that belies science and does not recognize the true facts out 
there today.
  The final comment I will make is that the Voting Rights Act does not 
expire for a year and a half. We ought to get it right. We ought to 
make sure everyone is protected in this country in terms of the right 
to access. To say we have to do that right now, even though we are 
probably going to do it, to claim that we do not want to do it is a 
false claim. No. 2, we have plenty of time to do it even if we do not 
get it done this year. Those are important things for the American 
public to know and be aware of. No one in this Senate thinks we should 
not reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. But we ought to do it in a way 
that represents the principles on which this country is founded and not 
the politics of the next election.
  I yield the floor.

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