Fetus Farming Prohibition Act of 2006

FETUS FARMING PROHIBITION ACT OF 2006 -- (Senate - July 17, 2006)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, as a long-time supporter of stem cell research, I want to commend the majority leader for working out an agreement that will give the Senate the opportunity to act on this critically important issue.

I am particularly pleased that the Senate will finally have the opportunity to vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bipartisan bill which will expand the number of stem cell lines that are eligible for federally funded research, enabling scientists to take full advantage of the scientific and medical opportunities provided by stem cells. At the same time, it establishes standards and creates a framework to ensure that this research is conducted ethically.

The promise of embryonic Stem cell lines lies with their potential to develop into virtually any cell, tissue, or organ in the body. As a consequence, this research holds considerable potential to treat and even cure a vast array of diseases and conditions. Researchers could, for example, potentially generate insulin-producing islet cells for patients with juvenile diabetes; neurons to treat Parkinson's disease, ALS, and Alzheimer's disease; as well as bone marrow cells to treat cancer. It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans are currently afflicted by diseases or disabilities that have the potential to be treated through this research.

On August 9, 2001, President Bush announced that Federal funds could, for the first time, be used to support research on embryonic stem cells. This research, however, was limited to existing embryonic stem cell lines created prior to 9 p.m. on that day.

In the 4 years since the President made that announcement, this stem cell policy has fallen far short of its original goals. While the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry at the NIH lists 78 stem cell lines, at best, no more than 212 lines will ever be available for research under the current policy.

Moreover, as Dr. John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University told the Special Committee on Aging last year, existing lines are ``contaminated with animal cells, lack genetic diversity, are not disease-specific and are not adequate for researchers to apply to a wide variety of diseases.'' Limiting researchers to these lines therefore places huge and unnecessary roadblocks in the way of possible treatments and cures for devastating diseases like Alzheimer's disease, ALS, cancer and diabetes.

We have learned a lot about stem cells since 2001. For example, scientists have now crated methods for growing stem cell

lines that are free of animal cells, greatly improving their potential for treating and curing disease. They have also created ``disease specific'' stem cell lines. Under the current policy, however, these ``new and improved'' stem cell lines are not available to federally funded researchers in the United States.

It is therefore time for us to update our stem cell policy to reflect what we have learned so that we can accelerate this important research, which hold such promise for millions of Americans and their families.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act lifts the current restriction so that stem cell lines are eligible for federally funded research regardless of the date on which they were created. Federal funding, however, would continue to be restricted to stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments that are in excess of the clinical need and that otherwise would be discarded.

The legislation also requires the informed consent of the donors and prohibits any financial inducement to donate. Finally, the bill calls on the National Institutes of Health to develop strict guidelines to ensure that researchers adhere to clear ethical and moral standards.

As the founder and co-chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, I am particularly excited about the promise that stem cell research holds for a cure for diabetes. Early research has shown that stem cells have the potential to develop into insulin-producing cells to replace those that have been destroyed in people with type I diabetes.

Last year, I chaired a hearing in conjunction with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Children's Congress to examine the devastating impact that juvenile diabetes has had on American children and their families. We heard heartbreaking testimony from children who had traveled to Washington to tell Congress what it is like to have diabetes, just how serious it is, and how important it is that we fund the research necessary to find a cure.

Steffi Rothweiler from Falmouth, ME, told the committee that she actually couldn't remember having a normal life without nights and weekends, and every hour of every day to take care of diabetes. She told us about her parents, who have given up their nights and weekends, and every hour of every day to take care of her and make sure that she stays in tight control of her blood sugar levels so that she can stay as healthy as possible. Steffi asked that we do all that we can to find a cure for diabetes as quickly as possible. We simply cannot ignore the potential that embryonic stem cell research holds for wonderful young people like Steffi.

I am sensitive to the ethical concerns raised by

opponents of this research. That is why I have cosponsored the legislation introduced by Senators SANTORUM and SPECTER to encourage the development of alternative methods for deriving stem cells without using embryos.

The fact is, however, that the embryos that will be used for this research would otherwise be discarded. In my view, the ethical choice is to use them for research that may benefit millions of Americans rather than discard them as medical waste.

Moreover, what is often ignored in this debate is that embryonic stem cell research is occurring in the private sector, where it is outside the purview of the NIH. It therefore lacks the scientific and ethical oversight that routinely occurs with federally funded research. Dr. Allen Spiegel, who was then the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes anti Digestive and Kidney Diseases, testified at our Children's Congress hearing last year. He told the committee that, while NIH routinely works very closely with the private sector, in the area of stem cell research, ``there is a wall.'' By expanding our current stem cell policy, we are tearing down that wall, allowing more research but with clear ethical standards.

Opponents of embryonic stem cell research contend that adult stem cells derived from tissue, such as bone marrow, are a sufficient replacement for embryonic stem cells in forwarding this important research. I believe that we need both. But, as Dr. Speigel told our committee, with regard to diabetes research:

We need to do embryonic stem cell first because it can give us a better understanding of what causes Type I diabetes ..... because it will actually inform our ability to work with adult stem cells ..... and finally, because, and one cannot guarantee or promise this, the embryonic stem cells themselves, if successfully turned into insulin-secreting beta cells, could be the source of cell therapy.

Mr. President, I believe that it would be tragic not to take advantage of this opportunity to accelerate research that can potentially help millions of people. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov