Steve Rothman: “as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, I rise in support of this legislation.…”

“as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, I rise in support of this legislation. Those of us who have long supported the increased accessibility and possibilities of ethical stem cell research appreciate the opportunity the leadership has granted us by allowing a vote on this legislation today. I would also like to thank Representatives Castle and DeGette for their continued persistence to bring this bill to the floor. We have all known someone who has suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Rett Syndrome, lupus, pulmonary fibrosis, juvenile diabetes, autism, cystic fibrosis, osteoporosis, spinal cord injuries, heart disease or cancer. By passing H.R. 810, we have the opportunity to help all of those individuals who are living with these and many other illnesses and injuries. Embryonic stem cell research holds the key to decreasing the pain and suffering of so many of our friends and family members. Furthermore, we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to help the millions of Americans, whose lives we hold in our hands, by allowing Federal funding to be used for this promising research. The authors of H.R. 810 have gone to great lengths to guarantee that safeguards are in place to ensure the ethical use of embryonic stem cells. Embryos used for stem cell research under H.R.…”