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Hope Offered Through Principled and Ethical Stem Cell Research Act--Continued

Floor Speech

Date: April 11, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Stem Cell Research

HOPE OFFERED THROUGH PRINCIPLED AND ETHICAL STEM CELL RESEARCH ACT--Continued -- (Senate - April 11, 2007)

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today we made an important step forward for the hope of millions of patients and their families.

Unfortunately, with this important step forward, there was also a small step backward.

I had initially stated that I would vote in favor of S. 30, but after carefully reviewing the language, I decided to vote against it.

I will ask to have printed in the Record a letter from the Joint Steering Committee on Public Policy that supports S. 5 and opposes S. 30.

The Joint Committee is a group made up of the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Genetics Society of America, Science Service, and the Society for Neuroscience.

Many of us here believed that S. 30 was a harmless bill.

After all, it is an initiative that would show we are supportive of all forms of embryonic stem cell research.

And I believe that some still feel that way.

But after hearing from a variety of research organizations and scientists, I have serious reservations.

After carefully reviewing the legislation, it is now clear that S. 30 sends the wrong message to the scientific community.

S. 30 puts forth a number of scientific issues that negatively position the scientific debate around what constitutes life and death and raises concepts that may not even be scientifically defined.

As elected officials discussing complex science issues, we are already in somewhat unfamiliar territory.

If we are to delve deeper into this discussion and the details of it, we need the scientific community on our side.

I stand for the advancement of medical research and I hope that this vote has made it clear.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have the aforementioned letter printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

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