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WASHINGTON, DC – Behind the near-unanimous support of Democrats, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, authored by U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO). The legislation will expand the number of embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal research funding through the National Institutes of Health by removing the arbitrary August 9, 2001 date and impose strict ethical controls on the research.
“Today, a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives took a critical step to helping extend or save the lives of potentially millions of Americans. By passing legislation, we are moving to reassert America’s ethical and scientific leadership on embryonic stem cell research,” said Rep. DeGette.
“This is a victory for science that is guided by the strict ethical controls that reflect our nation’s values. It is a victory for bipartisanship, as an all-too-rare coalition of conservatives and liberals, pro-life and pro-choice Members found common ground to pass this bill. Most importantly, it is a victory for the 100 million Americans who have or know someone who has a disease like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Type 1 diabetes, cancers or nerve injuries,” said Rep. DeGette. “Now, we will continue this fight in the Senate, where stem cell research has the same, extremely strong bipartisan support”
Rep. DeGette began working to expand federal support for stem cell research in 2001, before President Bush imposed strict limitations on stem cell lines eligible for funding. She was joined in this effort in 2004 by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) who co-sponsored stem cell legislation. The bill was reintroduced in 2005 and garnered 200 cosponsors.
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