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Imagine if curing many
of the diseases that affect humans today was a
distinct possibility and potential treatments were
just around the corner. Would we want to pursue the
research to save millions of lives and alleviate the
suffering of many, or would we instead choose to
ignore the benefits that such research could bring?
To me, the answer to this question is clear and that
is why I am a wholehearted supporter of stem cell
research.
There is a dire need
for more extensive research to combat countless
deadly diseases that afflict humans and human stem
cells offer the potential to provide treatments for
some of the most serious ones. Diabetes, Alzheimer’s
Disease, cancer, heart disease and many others could
be alleviated using stem cell therapies. Not to
pursue remedies to these debilitating diseases would
be a tragedy of tremendous proportions.
Today, federal
research is limited to a small number of embryonic
stem cell ‘lines’ that were established prior to the
President’s ban on the use of federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research on August 9, 2001. Only
19 of the 78 stem cell lines in existence are
available to researchers with many of these found to
be unusable due to technical or contamination
problems. With so many restrictions on our own
research, other nations are leading the charge into
scientific and medical advancement potentially
leaving our own nation and potentially our own
citizens behind.
I believe in stem cell
research. I believe in it because I cannot look at
a person suffering from a painful, debilitating
disease and say I do not support research to help
them. That is why I joined with my colleagues in
the Senate in urging President Bush to ease the
current restrictions on the use of stem cells so
that research can move forward and lives could be
saved. I also sponsored legislation with a broad
bipartisan group of 40 Senators, including Arlen
Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Orrin Hatch
(R-UT), to expand federal support for stem cell
research. This legislation has already passed
overwhelmingly in the U.S. House of Representatives
and must pass the Senate in order to further
life-saving research. Our legislation would ensure
that federal research would only use stem cells from
embryo which would otherwise be destroyed and would
require full consent from the donor before coming
into use. With the support of the Senate Republican
Leader, Dr. Bill Frist (R-TN), I believe this
legislation may finally get the vote it so rightly
deserves in the Senate.
At the same time, we
must dispel myths and educate Americans regarding
the potential advancements from stem cells. Right
now, we are at the very beginning of our
understanding their use in medical advancements.
There is much that scientists have yet to learn, and
while we always hope for quick cures, experience
shows that medical breakthroughs typically result
from years of concentrated effort – and we cannot
wait any longer to embark on that journey.
While my support for
stem cell research is unwavering, so is my
commitment to a strong ethical standard in our
medical research. Many people have concerns that
stem cell research would lead to human cloning. To
them I say, I agree. Human cloning must be banned –
no questions asked. I support legislation by
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would
absolutely, unequivocally ban this abhorrent
practice from ever taking place.
When I consider the
fate of the cells now in clinics that are destroyed
and then see the suffering caused by many
debilitating, degenerative and often fatal disease,
the need for this research is clear – and the
majority of the American people agree. Now is the
time for stem cell legislation to pass the Senate.
Now is the time for us to commit to the promise of
this ground-breaking advancement.
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