Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007

Floor Speech

STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - June 07, 2007)

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California (Ms. Matsui) for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this ground-breaking legislation, S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, and I want to commend the bipartisan leadership of Senator Reid and Senator Harkin and Senator Orrin Hatch for their hard work in crafting and passing this legislation. And I also want to thank the bipartisan leadership of Congresswoman Diana DeGette and Congressman Mike Castle for their tireless work on stem cell research funding.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats have fought long and hard in the name of science
and innovation. Here in the House of Representatives on January 11 of this year, as part of the 100 hours legislation led by Speaker Pelosi, we saw the unlocked potential held in stem cell research. We saw the potential to cure the diseases that affect 100 million Americans, debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's, multiple sclerosis and cancer, and I could go and on and on and on.

In my district of Massachusetts, my constituents see the value of progress and want to invest in the life sciences. As part of the life science initiative by the State, a stem cell bank will be created at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. It will be part of the largest repository of stem cell lines in the world.

Mr. Speaker, embryonic stem cell research has the support of over 500 organizations, including the American Medical Association, AARP, the Association of American Medical Colleges, American Diabetes Association and Paralyzed Veterans of America, and I could go on. I believe we owe the American people the promise of science and medicine.

The legislation before us reflects the best science in the world. The legislation before us holds out the hope for a better life for millions of people all throughout the world.

It is time that President Bush stop being an obstructionist on this issue. It is time that he gets out of the way and listens to the will of the American people.

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), my colleague, says that this is about politics. It is not about politics. This has nothing to do with politics, and it is sad that so many people who oppose this want to politicize this issue. It isn't about politics.

It is about life and death. It is about improving the quality of life through the best science that is available to us.

So it is time for this Congress to at long last do the right thing. We have debated this issue over and over and over and over and over. It is time for this Congress to do the right thing, to listen to the will of the American people, to listen to the best science and finally pass this bill.

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