Stem Cell Research Advancement Represents Progress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With today’s announcement of another stem cell research advancement, Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), chief architect of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, offered the following statement today:

“I applaud the most recent advance in stem cell research. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is not reproductive cloning. As this research shows, the use of SCNT will help to fulfill the promise of embryonic stem cell research.

“All of the recent research advances represent the vast promise of stem cell research. Given the national commitment to ethical stem cell research, we need a robust national stem cell research policy and strong ethical oversight.

“The federal government must support all methods of ethical stem cell research. Allowing politics to trump science is a disservice to scientific progress and hinders the potential development of numerous cures that will most likely result from the greatest variety of methods, including embryonic stem cell research.”