Did you know there is a law on the books stating that individuals who harm or even move the eggs of Loggerhead Sea Turtles are subject to fines and even jail time? Unfortunately, the embryos of humans are not treated in the same regard and today there is a public debate underway about spending your tax dollars to destroy human embryonic cells in the name of medical research.

Any scientific exploration we do with stem cell research should be done with respect for the sanctity and dignity of each individual human life. No matter how easy it is to rationalize the taking of human life at different developmental stages and for different reasons, the end does not justify the means.

I understand the desperate need for medical research and my record is well established as an ardent supporter of federal funding to help find cures for many diseases. Last year, I voted to increase the National Institutes of Health funding by 15 percent for fiscal year 2001, bringing the total to $18.8 billion. I have also pledged my support to double the resources to find a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease and Diabetes. These life-threatening diseases now affect virtually every family in America in some way, but embryonic stem cell research is not the right solution to these complex problems.

Currently, there are many significant studies that suggest adult stem cell research -- which has already played a huge role in cancer treatment -- is the most viable approach. As opposed to research that destroys human embryos, adult stem cells can actually be more closely controlled because scientists will know what type of cells will develop. In addition, adult stem cells do not have the same risk of being rejected by the recipient's body - like their embryonic counterparts.

The Clinton Administration's Bioethics Advisory Commission even stated that embryo-destructive research should only go forward "if no less morally problematic alternatives are available for the research." The research involving adult stem cells is clearly a "less morally problematic alternative" because the cells are ethically obtained from organ donors. There are other choices for research and I believe that tax dollars should not be spent destroying human embryos for whatever reason. Similar to abortion, taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for something that many of us feel is morally wrong.

Many diseases have already seen miraculous results through adult stem cell research, such as brain tumors, breast cancer, leukemia, anemia and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Scientists are studying how adult stem cell research can develop cures for diabetes, Parkinson's Disease and spinal cord injuries. The research is exciting and I look forward to the day when these devastating diseases are in decline, but we must not open up a commercial market for human life - creating life and then discarding what we no longer need.

As the question about federally funded embryonic stem cell research has emerged, I remain committed to the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

God gave us each a mind with which to explore His creation, but He also gave us a conscience to prevent us from destroying innocent human life.