In Support of Lifting the Ban on Federally Funded Stem Cell Research

IN SUPPORT OF LIFTING THE BAN ON FEDERALLY FUNDED STEM CELL RESEARCH

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, it isn't every day that we get to come to the House Floor with the opportunity to save lives. When we voted on H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, we were given that very chance. With the Senate voting on the bill in the coming days, we must respond to 72 percent of Americans, scientists, researchers, and Nobel laureates and vote to continue our support for lifting the ban on which stem cell lines can be federally funded.

Right now, only 22 of the 78 stem cell lines approved by President Bush are left. Many of these lines have been contaminated and are no longer useful, but more than 400,000 frozen embryos exist in the United States. With further research, these cells may be used as ``replacement'' cells and tissues to treat many diseases including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease and others. Stem cell research holds hope of one day being able to treat brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke for which there is currently no treatment available. And they may solve the problem of the body's reaction to foreign tissue, resulting in dramatic improvements in the treatment of a number of life-threatening conditions, such as burns and kidney failure, for which transplantation is currently used.

As a co-chair on the Working Group for Parkinson's Disease and as someone who has lost a very close family member to Parkinson's disease, I know firsthand just how important this legislation is and how important it is to open up the stem cell lines. Parkinson's disease is a progressive degenerative brain disease which kills a specialized and vital type of brain cell, a cell which produces the substance dopamine, that is essential for normal movement and balance. The loss of these dopamine-producing cells causes symptoms, including slowness and paucity of movement, tremor, stiffness, and difficulty walking and balancing, which makes the sufferer unable to carry out the normal activities of daily living. In 30 percent of the cases those symptoms include dementia. As the disease progresses, it inflicts horrific physical, emotional, and financial burdens on the patient and family, requiring the caregiver to assist in the activities of daily living, and may eventually lead to placement in a nursing home until death.

With further research into stem cells, scientists will be able to ``reprogram'' the stem cells into the dopamine-producing cells which are lost in Parkinson's disease. One million Americans are afflicted by this terrible disease. This bill will directly help them.

As for the suspensions we are debating today. I have heard Members of the other body claim that they are useless, but harmless. That they don't do anything to help and that there are no applications of science that they would impact, that fetal farms simply don't exist.

Mr. Speaker, we have a bill before us that will save millions of lives and impact millions more.

It's time that we put the politics aside, listen to the science, and do what's right.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 810.

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