On the recordMarch 10, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a solemn occasion. One year ago, President Obama issued an Executive order allowing for taxpayer dollars to incentivize the destruction of human life through the use of embryonic stem cells. As a physician, a father, and a grandfather, I know that all human life is precious and begins at the moment of conception, and it is paramount that we continue to seek better medical treatments and cures for diseases. Yet I also believe that our research and decisions must be life affirming. Lives can be saved through techniques creating embryonic-like cells from adult cells, making it unnecessary to destroy embryos. Over 73 different diseases so far have been treated with adult or cord blood stem cells, including type 1 diabetes and heart disease. I call upon the President to reverse this order and acknowledge that research that is both morally controversial and out of date does not need to be subsidized by the American taxpayer. ____________________
