Jane Harman: “the promise for curing a whole host of debilitating diseases is brighter than it's ever been. Today, Congress has the…”

“the promise for curing a whole host of debilitating diseases is brighter than it's ever been. Today, Congress has the opportunity to capitalize on breakthrough scientific research to help millions across our country. Representatives Castle and DeGette have crafted this bill meticulously, which would allow the use of surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization treatments and require donor consent. It does not allow stem cells to be sold for profit. This legislation takes an ethical and moral approach to a challenging subject, and throughout is respectful of the value of life. Real political courage and leadership--on both sides of the aisle, in the House and Senate--was required to bring us to this point. People from every point along the political spectrum--from Nancy Reagan to the late Christopher Reeve--have embraced the promise and potential of stem cell research. Parkinson's, cancer, Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injuries--cures for these and other serious ailments may lie in stem cell research. We owe it to generations of suffering Americans and their families to help find treatments that could lead to full recovery. Many in this body like to talk about ``values.'' Today, I say to them: using discarded embryos to find scientific cures for fatal diseases is our moral obligation. Saving life is precisely what we all care about. Mr. Speaker, a vote for H.R. 810 is a vote to save lives.…”