Larry Bucshon: “This is about infant lives, but I would like address what else it is about. It is about science and research. The other…”

“This is about infant lives, but I would like address what else it is about. It is about science and research. The other side seems to only want to focus on politics and scare tactics. From the beginning, we recognized the other side would try to avert attention from our investigation by falsely claiming we are opposed to science. As a doctor, I find that offensive, and I think it is a dangerous practice to introduce fear into important scientific debates. Every member of the panel is committed to medical research that finds cures. The rhetoric that we are opposed to cures for Zika, HIV, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's is just ridiculous and wrong. The United States of America is a global leader in scientific research. We should all be proud of the research enterprise in our country and support it with tax dollars. The House Select Panel on Infant Lives shares this support. We are strongly committed to promoting both basic and clinical research. The goal of the House select panel is not to oppose science but, rather, to determine how best to support science so that this important work can advance as rapidly as possible without ethical compromise. As the history of biomedical research in the 20th century clearly demonstrates, when scientific research is separated from ethics or the law, grave injustice can occur. We here in Congress, like the rest of Americans, care deeply about protecting the rights of patients and ensuring ethical oversight of research procedures.…”