Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise today in support of stem cell research. It is time for people on all points of the political spectrum to come…”

“I rise today in support of stem cell research. It is time for people on all points of the political spectrum to come together, support efforts to make stem cell research safe, legal and ethical. Stem cell research has the potential to unlock the door to medical knowledge for a host of diseases. We cannot allow America's health to be held hostage to politics, while medical research stagnates. For people suffering from Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, or for those who have loved ones with these diseases, including cancer and juvenile diabetes, stem cell research represents hope for a cure. Yet by banning this research, either adult or embryonic research, we foreclose the possibility of improving or saving many, many lives. And who will pay the price? A mother fighting Parkinson's or a child battling juvenile diabetes. That is why I strongly urge my colleagues to put politics aside, support the promising scientific research of stem cell research.”