FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2005
Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
 
 
 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) released the following prepared statement on H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act authored by Rep. DeGette:

More than 100 years ago, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes recognized that we are living in an increasingly complex world and that “the chief worth of civilization is just that it makes the means of living more complex.”  This world “calls for great and combined intellectual efforts, instead of simple uncoordinated ones.”

The truth of Justice Holmes’ words in today’s complex world is best seen in the state of scientific research.  We are on the verge of breakthroughs that will cure diseases that affect tens of millions of Americans.  Yet some want to turn away from this potential, to refuse to even acknowledge its existence, simply because they don’t understand the complexity of the issue.  This refusal is slowing the progress of ethical science, and worse, delaying advancements that could cure diseases that affect patients and families around the world.

Our constituents want more from us.  They want their elected officials to thoughtfully examine tough issues like embryonic stem cell research and create policies that address both practical and ethical challenges.  They also expect us to consider these issues not as Democrats or Republicans, pro-life or pro-choice, but as people with family members and friends whose lives could be made better—or even saved—by our decisions.

Passing HR 810 will allow the federal government to enable scientists, not politicians, to determine whether embryonic stem cell research will lead to cures to diseases that now plague us. And it will do so while establishing the clear and strict ethical guidelines that are absent today.

In 2001, the President issued his executive order establishing the current embryonic stem cell research policy in an attempt to balance research and ethics.  In the last four years, it has become clear that the policy fails on both counts.  Research has been stymied in this country, going into private hands and offshore. Research moves ahead, but not with the resources of the National Institutes of Health and without clear ethical standards.

I recognize that new science creates new moral dilemmas.  That is why our bill sets explicit controls on how stem cell lines can be created.  It gives another option for embryos created for in vitro fertilization—embryos created in Petri dishes—that would otherwise be destroyed so that they can be used to potentially save or extend lives.

Here’s why we so desperately need to pass this bill.  These are two young brothers from Denver, Wyatt and Noah Forman.  Both these boys have Type I  Diabetes, and have had since they were 2.  A couple of months ago, Noah had convulsions in the middle of the night from low blood sugar.  His parents thought they would lose him—and now they can’t sleep at night.  Without a cure, Wyatt and Noah face possible complications ranging from a heart attack to kidney failure or even blindness as they grow up. 

How can we tell these boys—and millions of others—that we would rather throw away the embryonic stem cells that could provide a cure than allow them to be donated for research?  How can we tell our colleagues Jim Langevin and Lane Evans—our mothers with Alzheimer’s, our brothers with Lou Gehrig’s Disease—the millions of Americans who are praying for a cure and for whom embryonic stem cell research may hold the key—sorry, the Federal Government is opting out?  Let’s not let one more year, month or day go by without acting.  Let’s reclaim the federal government’s role as the leader in ethical basic research.  Let’s give those we are sworn to represent hope.  Let’s pass HR 810.


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