Lynn C. Woolsey: “I'm so pleased to have another opportunity to support this stem cell research bill today. But let me say that we cannot…”

“I'm so pleased to have another opportunity to support this stem cell research bill today. But let me say that we cannot allow this crucial legislation to once again come so close, only to--in the end--be kept so far from those who would benefit from its outcome on a daily basis. Change does not come easily. This is a big step in providing America's world-class researchers with the resources they need to make a difference in the lives of those with serious illnesses. But let us take a moment to weigh the kind of change in federal policy it would take to provide researchers with access to new embryonic stem cell lines, with the kind of change a person faces when he or she hears the words Parkinson's, or diabetes, or spinal cord injury. The debilitating symptoms of these diseases can alter the course of a person's life--not to mention their family's--and change their day-to-day lives in ways it is impossible for most of us to even imagine. I ask you to take a moment to think of the changes you would have to make to accommodate a chronic illness in your life. Our scientists and researchers need new cell lines so they can move beyond the contaminated, and often unusable, lines that were in existence before 2001. Let's transform the way we experience disease in this country and take the first step today by supporting H.R. 3.”