Date: 2005-05-24
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I come from Florida. and a lot of people think that only retirees and seniors live in Florida. but I want to put a face on a couple that was very successful with in vitro fertilization. They are 47 years old. They had a daughter born as a result of in vitro fertilization. The child was born with multiple heart problems and had to have three surgeries before she was 2 years old. This couple believes that far more good can come from donating the remaining embryos for research. They have decided not to have any more children. And ultimately what we have not heard here is what the American people want. This is a couple that wants to be able to donate the embryos. which certainly they can do now. but they also want to have Federal research dollars go toward this. This really is all about where taxpayer dollars go. And when you look at the huge book of pork that comes out every single year. when we go back home and say to our constituents. would you rather have some of this money going to. for example. some foreign countries that regularly turn their backs on us. or would you like to see some significant research done from embryonic stem cells that would be disposed of. the majority of our constituents are clearly going to say. use the money for significant research. We have to remember that this is not an either/or. Certainly the umbilical cord research is a great science. We need to move forward with that as well as the embryonic stem cell research. 0l 1545 Remember. for this couple and her husband deciding to donate those embryos. they believe they will be saving. other childrens lives. They believe they will be helping an aunt who has earlystage Alzheimers. They believe they will be able to help spinal cord injury victims. That is what this research holds the potential for. No. we do not have the cures yet. but unless we go forward. we never will. I fully support the Castle/DeGette bill. and hope other Members do. too. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 810. the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. I stand with 200 of Americas most respected research organizations in support of this.bill. I would like to especially thank Congressmen CASTLE and DEGETTE for their tireless efforts on behalf of the millions of people who may benefit from enhanced stem cell research. I would also like to thank Speaker HASTERT and Leader DELAY for the debate today and for giving the 200+ cosponsors of this legislation a vote on the House floor. I rise today as a mother. as a concerned grandparent. and as someone who is worried that the untapped potentiat of stem cell research may be falling by the wayside. In my congressional district on the gulf coast of Florida. I have had the pleasure of meeting Holly. a 47yearold mother of two. Like many Americans. Holly and her husband had trouble getting pregnant. and their first daughter was born through in vitro fertilization. Her daughter was born with a corigenital heart condition. and had three surgeries before her second birthday. As with most in vitro fertilization procedures. Holly and her husband had several embryos left over after the procedure. They chose to keep the remaining embryos frozen. This couple was then blessed by a second miracle daughter who was conceived without in vitro fertilization The happy couple decided not to have any more children. and had to make a choice about what to do with their frozen embryos. Holly and her husband are well aware of Operation Snowflake and the adoption options for their embryos. But. like many other parents. they would rather donate their embryos for research to help prevent heart diseaselike their daughter was born with--or cure cancer. Alzheimers disease or Parkinsons. For Holly and her husband. they decided that donating their embryos for medical research would be their best chance to save other childrens lives. Increasing stem cell research could find.potential cures for many diseases that affect so -manyAmerican families. Put another way. the issue of -embryos and -their ability to be used for stem cell research is kind of like a flashlight. Until you put the batteries in. a flashlight will not produce light. Likewise. only when an embryo is implanted in a uterus to grow. can life be sustained. Embryos sitting frozen in a clinic help no one. The.embryo does not.grow in the frozen state. so human life is not being created and nurtured. In addition. when the couple stops paying the daily fees to store the embryos. unless they have the medical donation option. their remaining embryos will be disposed of as medical waste. That would be tragic. Hollyand her husband know this fact. They know that without the nurturing. and love that a womans body provides. these embryos will be wasted. Science tells us that after as short a time as eight years. these frozen embryos will begin to deteriorate. and lose their viability for implantation. Mr. Speaker. these embryos are too important to linger in a frozen test tube or to see discarded without helping mankind. Additionally. I have yet to hear in this entire debate what opponents of H.R. 810 would do with those embryos that are not adopted. and eventually go to waste in a cryogenic freezer. Would they want those embryos to be thrown out as medical waste. or instead help provide the basisfor lifeaffirming scientific research? Holly and -her husband know that the great potential and promise of stem cell research -will not move forward without their donated embryos and their support. However. it is their respect for the culture of life that has brought them to this decision. They have weighed the choices available to them. and rather than donating the embryo for adoption. have chosen to let their embryos potentially save millions of lives. Thousands of people around the country have made similar decisions to support lifeaffirming and lifeenhancing research. H.R. 810 will give hope where hope does not exist. Passage of this bill today will let the research on stem cells continue under ethical guidelines. and will provide millions of Americans suffering .from terminal diseases the hope that they have been denied. All these organizations listed on this posterboard. such as the American Academy for Cancer Research and the American Medical Association. support H.R. 810. I urge my fellow Members of Congress to vote yes on the bill