OUR PRINCIPLE: House Republicans support ethical scientific research that does not depend on the destruction of life.

Federal funding for stem cell research has increased by 60% since 2004, and was nonexistent before 2001. (Wall Street Journal, 4/4/06)

Frozen embryos are unborn human beings that are not automatically destined for destruction. They can be and have been matched with adoptive families. The resulting births are called “snowflake” children because each is fragile and unique. One adoption agency has matched hundreds of parents and donor embryos, resulting in the birth of 99 children since 1997. (Nightlight Christian Adoptions)

Democrats disregard “major advances” in ethical research while pushing ahead with controversial measures. The day before Democrats vote on their bill, researchers announce they have achieved the equivalent of “turning back time” by producing embryonic stem cells without destroying a human embryo.

• “In a big step toward a long-sought goal, three teams of scientists say they’ve produced the equivalent of embryonic stem cells at least in mice, without taking the controversial step of destroying embryos.” (AP, 6/6/07)

• “[T]he biological equivalent of turning back time: They returned old, mature cells – such as skin – to their primordial, embryonic state. Further experiments showed that the derived cells had the same properties as true embryonic stem cells, such as the ability to turn into muscle, heart, nerve and other tissue types … Crucially, three of the experiments didn't use eggs and didn't require the destruction of embryos.” (Wall Street Journal, 6/6/07)

• “[A] major advance in the burgeoning field of stem cell research.” (Toronto Star, 6/6/07)

Democrats are choosing to pass veto-bait over instead of legislation that would responsibly advance stem cell research. The President vetoed an embryonic stem cell bill last year, and he has already announced he would veto this year’s bill. Democrat leaders lack sufficient votes to override it.

• The Democrat bill, S. 5, “would use Federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research. The bill would compel all American taxpayers to pay for research that relies on the intentional destruction of human embryos for the derivation of stem cells, overturning the President’s policy that funds research without promoting such ongoing destruction. If S. 5 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill.” (Statement of Administration Policy, 6/6/07)