Senate Debate Begins On Senator Collins-Backed Stem Cell Bill

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SENATE DEBATE BEGINS ON SENATOR COLLINS-BACKED STEM CELL BILL

The U.S. Senate today began debate on the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act." Senator Collins has been a long time supporter of this legislation that would expand the number of stem cell lines that are eligible for federally funded research, enabling scientists to take full advantage of the scientific and medical opportunities provided by stem cells. At the same time, the bill would establish clear standards to ensure that the research is conducted ethically.

"Embryonic stem cell research holds considerable potential to treat and perhaps even cure a vast array of diseases and conditions. Researchers could, for example, potentially generate insulin-producing islet cells for patients with juvenile diabetes; neurons to treat Parkinson's disease, ALS, and Alzheimer's disease; as well as bone marrow cells to treat cancer," said Senator Collins. "It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans are afflicted by diseases or disabilities that have the potential to be treated through this promising research."

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act lifts a restriction established by President Bush that currently limits federally funded stem cell research to existing embryonic stem cell lines created prior to August 9, 2001. The legislation makes stem cell lines eligible for federally funded research regardless of the date on which they were created. Federal funding, however, would continue to be restricted to stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments that are in excess of the clinical need and that otherwise would be discarded.

The legislation requires the informed consent of the embryonic stem cell donors and prohibits any financial inducement to donate. It also calls on the National Institutes of Health to develop strict guidelines to ensure that researchers adhere to clear ethical and moral standards.

"I am sensitive to the ethical concerns raised by opponents of this research. The fact is, however, that the embryos that will be used for this research would otherwise be discarded. In my view, the ethical choice is to use them for research that may benefit millions of Americans rather than discard them as medical waste," said Senator Collins.

"We have learned a lot about stem cells since 2001," the Senator added. "It is time for us to update our stem cell policy to reflect what we have learned so that we can accelerate this important research, which holds such promise for millions of Americans and their families."

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