Bill Clinton: “I welcome this vote on such an important piece of legislation, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. As we have heard…”

“I welcome this vote on such an important piece of legislation, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. As we have heard eloquently from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, stem cell research holds the promise of new cures and treatments for countless diseases and millions of Americans with chronic, incurable conditions. The wide range of applications for stem cells may lead to unparalleled achievements on behalf of research concerning Alzheimer's disease, as my friend and colleague, Senator Mikulski, so passionately described with respect to her own family and her own experience; spinal cord injuries, like my dear friend Christopher Reeve; diabetes, and other conditions. For example, in my State of New York, research at Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center has shown real promise for the use of stem cell research in bone, cartilage, and muscle replacement therapies. At Columbia University researchers have shown that stem cells can develop into neurons, special nervous system cells that would allow us to actually treat vision loss. Other scientists at Columbia University and at the University of Rochester Medical Center are working to cultivate stem cells into spinal cells that control motor function as possible treatments for ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.…”