[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18155]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         ADMINISTRATION STEM CELL VETO: ``ASSAULT ON SCIENCE''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2006

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring my colleagues' 
attention to the editorial entitled ``Assault on Science,'' which was 
published on July 21, 2006 in the Baytown Sun. The editorial, which 
calls the President's veto of legislation to expand Federal embryonic 
stem cell research ``a blow against scientific progress and human 
health,'' mirrors the views of more than 70 percent of the American 
public who support expanded embryonic stem cell research. I encourage 
each of my colleagues to read this well-written piece and ask unanimous 
consent that a copy of it be placed in the Record.

                 [From the Baytown Sun, July 21, 2006]

                           Assault on Science

                            (By David Bloom)

       President Bush used his first veto Wednesday to block a 
     bill that would have lifted some federal restrictions on 
     funding for stem cell research that most Americans support.
       In vetoing the bill, Bush made good on a promise he made in 
     2001 to limit federally funded embryonic research to the stem 
     cell lines that had been created by the time. He also landed 
     quite a blow against scientific progress and human health.
       Bush and other opponents of embryonic stem cell research 
     claim that their position is rooted in a respect for human 
     life. They say that the embryos destroyed in the process of 
     extracting stem cells are human beings with a right to life.
       In truth, clinics destroy thousands upon thousands of 
     embryos every year, the leftovers of the in-vitro 
     fertilization process. The bill would have allowed federal 
     funding only for stem cell lines made from embryos headed for 
     destruction, not adoption. Thus, no lives will be saved by 
     the president's veto.
       Further, embryos used in embryonic stem cell research are 
     not human beings--not in any rational sense of the term. 
     These embryos are smaller than a grain of sand, and consist 
     of at most a few hundred undifferentiated cells.
       While they have the potential to become human beings--if 
     implanted in a woman's uterus and brought to term--they are 
     nowhere near actual human beings.
       No one knows for certain all that can be helped by stem 
     cells. Most scientists believe they hold extraordinary 
     healing powers and may aid everything from brain function 
     impaired by Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to pancreas function 
     limited by diabetes and heart function after a heart attack.
       It is revealing that Bush has used his first veto to oppose 
     potentially life-saving research to shore up his support 
     among people who regard destruction of an embryo as abortion.
       Anyone who truly cares about human life should condemn this 
     religious assault on medical progress.
       Granted, it's difficult to balance the moral, ethical and 
     economic considerations in life sciences research. Elected 
     officials must set policy that is flexible but consistent 
     with historic national values.
       But in this case, the president's beliefs and his aim for 
     better poll numbers are preventing research that offers hope 
     to many ailing people.

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