Congressman Snyder gave the following speech
on stem cell research on the U.S. House floor on Tuesday, May 24,
2005 Mr. Speaker, this is a grand and glorious debate we are having today. Think of what we are doing. We are debating the best route for achieving wonderful, healing medical possibility, possibility that would have been unheard of not many years ago. But it is only possibility. By definition, good research is always about possibility, about the potential of finding the answers to that which we do not know. Let me share three perspectives with you today. First, that of a friend. This is a picture of a family I know. The mother, father and I trained together at the medical school in Arkansas. She was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes at age 7. She had early complications with retinal problems caused by the diabetes. Her husband is a doctor. Five years ago he had an accident and now has paralysis caused by spinal cord injury at the C7-T1 level. This family has hope, realistic hope that sometime in the many years of life ahead of them, medical research may give them the possibility of cure or dramatic improvement in her diabetes and his spinal cord injury. Second, as a family doctor, I practiced medicine. My patients and I relied on past research done by many good scientists striving in an ethical manner to end the harsh realities of so many diseases. I know some of my friends in opposition to this bill today argue that embryonic stem cell research is junk science. I do not share this view, but to those of you pondering this view today I say, let our gifted researchers, not us legislators, answer the unanswered scientific questions for us. Funded ethical research is not junk science. Premature conclusion is. Third, as patients, my wife and I have ventured into the world of fertility clinics. We have met doctors and nurses all working hard to help couples have families, and we have studied and prayed over the patient consent forms. The ultimate decision on what happens to unneeded embryos should be up to that fully informed family, and fully informed consent is part of this bill. I support this bill today. I do not know what, if anything, will come from this funded research. That is why we do the research. Please vote ``yes'' for this bill. -30- |