John Yarmuth: “Mr. Speaker, the progress that has been made of late in the area of adult and amniotic fluid stem cell research is…”

“Mr. Speaker, the progress that has been made of late in the area of adult and amniotic fluid stem cell research is astounding. In my own district, the University of Louisville is curing paralysis in lab animals using adult stem cells. But with each new discovery, the scientists say the same thing: none of these areas of research can replace the vast unique and still unchartered potential of embryonic stem cells. Politics interfering with scientific advancement is nothing new. In Louisville, public controversy was a major obstacle before our pioneering doctors successfully implanted the first artificial heart and performed the first hand transplant. Had the politics of the day prevailed, additional lives would have been lost and incredible progress halted. Today, again on the cusp of discoveries that could save lives, we find ourselves at a similar crossroads. Will we aid progress or impede it? And none--not one of the embryos in question could ever grow into a human life. The researchers are speaking exclusively of embryos that would otherwise be discarded. We can no longer afford to let politics stand in the way of science and allow America to fall behind the rest of the world's medical advances, especially now as the research being conducted with embryonic stem cells holds the unprecedented potential to revolutionize medicine. I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 3.”