Orrin Hatch: “I want to take one last opportunity to give my strong endorsement to the need for our country to provide a better level…”

“I want to take one last opportunity to give my strong endorsement to the need for our country to provide a better level of support for a very promising line of scientific inquiry: embryonic stem cell research. While I will vote in favor of both bills, it is S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, that provides the promise of making a dramatic, yet ethical, difference in the lives of so many. S. 5 offers people hope who have no hope today. S. 5 has the potential to save lives. S. 5 opens up a door to medical research that offers much promise to both the scientific community and the patient community. And why is that? Because S. 5 allows the Federal Government to fund the most promising line of stem cell research--embryonic stem cell research--and S. 30 does not. Make no mistake about it. Under the current policy, the President's policy, our Government does support embryonic stem cell research. All S. 5 would do is expand that policy. To those who raise questions about the ethicality of this bill, I answer this way: If it was ethical to implement such a policy in 2001-- and I have heard little criticism about that--then it should be ethical to adopt S. 5 as well.”