Congressman Dent presents Homeland
Security funding to the Gilbertsville Fire and Rescue Company, which
will use the money to buy a new fire truck. Pictured with the
Congressman are Fire Chief Ricky Smith (holding check) and Deputy Chief
Steve Volpe. |
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Why I Voted to Override the President’s Veto on Stem Cells
By Congressman Charles W. Dent (PA-15)
At the core of the controversy over whether the United States should continue
and expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research is the time-honored
tension between science and ethics.
There is no ban on stem-cell research. Five years ago, President Bush authorized
federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines that were created prior
to August 9, 2001. As a result of that policy, federally funded research has
been conducted on 22 usable stem cell lines. But today those lines are breaking
down and becoming contaminated, consequently limiting their scientific value.
The President drew a line in the sand on August 9, 2001 in an effort to satisfy
ethical concerns over permitting the destruction of embryos in order to advance
scientific research. I agree that setting ethical boundaries is central to any
discussion about expanding federally conducted research. Unfortunately, the
President’s veto of H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, stands in
the way of establishing stringent ethical standards under which embryonic stem
cell research will be carried out.
The reality is two-fold. First, this ethical dilemma exists with or without
federal research. Each year, couples all across our country visit in-vitro
fertilization clinics with the hope that scientific assistance will permit them
to bear children. Hundreds of blastocysts, which are a clump of about 100 cells
that forms within a few days after a human sperm enters a human egg, are created
in excess of the clinical need. Currently there are more than 400,000
blastocysts in the freezers of in-vitro fertilization clinics throughout the
United States. These blastocysts will inevitably be destroyed and discarded as
medical waste.
Second, embryonic stem cell research is taking place all over the world. The
United States is burying its head in the sand and avoiding reality: if we do not
step up and set ethical standards of conduct, the research will be conducted
elsewhere without any restraints.
Scientific research is driven by academic institutions, which in turn rely
heavily on public funding. Laboratories throughout the United States have
enacted absurd procedures in order to honor the existing federal restrictions.
Some labs have color-coded tabs to separate identical but separately funded
equipment; others have opted to divide the parts of their labs funded by public
versus private dollars with police tape. These are barriers to effective,
efficient research.
We had an opportunity to set meaningful ethical guidelines for embryonic stem
cell research that would serve as the benchmark for scientific study throughout
the world. H.R. 810, which I supported and which passed both the House and the
Senate by large margins before being vetoed by the President, provided these
guidelines. First, in order to be considered for this research, the donated
cells would have had to come from in-vitro fertilization clinics and been in
excess of those needed for that facility’s fertility treatment function. Second,
the in-vitro facility would have had to certify that these cells would be
otherwise discarded if not donated and that the cells were not destined for
implantation. Third, the donors of these cells would have been required to sign
a written consent form providing for such a donation and confirming that they
had not received any inducements, financial or otherwise, to make the donation.
We have taken one important step forward in addressing the ethical dilemmas that
are raised by this emerging field of science by enacting a law which would
prohibit the practice of “fetal farming,” where human fetal tissue would be
deliberately created for the purpose of scientific research. It is unfortunate
that politics prevailed over science and ethics with respect to the Stem Cell
Research Enhancement Act, H.R. 810, and that is why I voted to override the
President's veto of this legislation on 19 July 2006.
Embryonic stem cell research offers hope that we can one day cure some of the
most vexing diseases of our time, like Parkinson’s disease, juvenile diabetes,
cancer, and spinal cord injuries. We must move forward with this critical
research but we must do so in a way that honors our ethical obligations.
Congressman Charlie Dent represents Pennsylvania’s 15th District, which
includes all or parts of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Montgomery counties.
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