[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 87]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           STEM CELL RESEARCH

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I strongly support legislation introduced 
earlier today which would permit Federal funding to be used for 
embryonic stem cell research. That is a subject which has been at the 
top of my agenda since November of 1998 when stem cells were first 
exposed. Within 10 days, in December 1998, the Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services and Education held the 
first hearing to explore the potential of embryonic stem cell research. 
In the intervening years the subcommittee has held some 19 hearings 
exploring this issue in some great detail.
  The Specter-Harkin bill was passed last year, vetoed by the 
President, and the bill is back before the Congress this year where it 
may be possible to override a Presidential veto. That depends upon how 
much public support there is--really, how much public clamor there is--
for this legislation to be enacted.
  Embryonic stem cells have the potential to replace diseased cells. 
They are a veritable fountain of youth. They have enormous potential in 
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, and almost all of the 
known maladies. I don't know of any malady where they are not a 
potential for a cure because the cells in a person's body become 
diseased, and if the embryonic stem cell can replace the diseased cell, 
there is a potential for a cure.
  There is opposition to this legislation on the ground that it would 
destroy life. That is factually not correct because there are some 
400,000 embryos created for in vitro fertilization which are going to 
be destroyed. When the issue was raised about destroying a life, the 
subcommittee took the lead and appropriated $2 million to facilitate 
adoptions. There have only been about 100 adoptions in the past several 
years, so there is no doubt that using some of these embryonic stem 
cells will not destroy life because they will not be used to create 
life. If there were any chance they would create life, I would not 
consider utilizing them for medical research.
  When the alternative is to throw them away or to use them, it seems 
to me a clear choice to utilize them to save lives and fight disease. 
That is the thrust of this legislation.

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