WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) issued the following statement on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 that the U.S. House of Representatives voted on today.

“I am proud to be a cosponsor of HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, and I rise in strong support of the veto override of this critical legislation.  

“At issue here is the fundamental value of saving lives—a value that we all share regardless of race, culture, or religion.  Embryonic stem cells have the potential not just to treat some of the most devastating diseases and conditions, but to actually cure them.

“The President’s veto of this life-saving legislation is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans suffering from diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or debilitating physical injuries who found new hope for treatments and cures with the passage of H.R. 810.

“This hope will remain only if researchers have access to the science that holds the most potential, and are free to explore—with appropriate ethical guidelines—medical advances never before imagined possible.

“The 67 percent of the American public that supports embryonic stem cell research understands this. Why doesn’t the President?

“There is no question that scientific advancement often comes with moral dilemmas.  That is why we have examined and debated difficult ethical and social questions before passing this legislation.

“Like many of you, I believe that strong guidelines must be in place with vigorous oversight from the NIH and Congress before allowing federally-funded embryonic stem cell research.   

“H.R. 810 would strengthen the standards guiding embryonic stem cell research and would ensure that embryos originally created for the purpose of in vitro fertilization could be made available for research only with the consent of the donor. 

“So today I ask my colleagues to be as determined to find a cure as science allows us to be.  We are closer than ever to remarkable discoveries and on the brink of providing hope to millions of individuals who otherwise have none. Congress must not allow the President to once again put ideology before science.

“I urge my colleagues to vote to override of the President’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.”