Tom Harkin: “like millions of other Americans, I was shocked and saddened to learn last evening and to learn more this morning of the…”

“like millions of other Americans, I was shocked and saddened to learn last evening and to learn more this morning of the death of Christopher Reeve. In Hollywood life, he played Superman. But in real life, Christopher Reeve was a super person, a truly wonderful individual who embodied the indomitable human spirit in a way that won the respect and admiration of people across the globe. Christopher Reeve was a classic example of a person with a disability who is remembered most of all for his ability, not his disability--the abilities that he mobilized to become an extraordinarily effective advocate for stem cell research. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for his eloquent and straightforward presentation of the arguments on behalf of embryonic stem cell research. But I want to commend the memory of Christopher Reeve. He marshaled forces, he traveled all over this country at great expense, and at great cost to himself personally in terms of his own health, to marshal the forces necessary to promote embryonic stem cell research. He spoke with passion and intelligence and conviction. Christopher Reeve offered hope--not a false or idle hope. He offered hope grounded in science and discovery, hope grounded in the promise in possibilities of embryonic stem cell research. Forty-two Nobel laureates--I think maybe many of them because Christopher Reeve called them on the phone and visited--came out in strong support of embryonic stem cell research.”