Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - June 07, 2007)

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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I commend the Senator from Iowa, Senator Harkin, for his tremendous work and advocacy that has gotten us to this place today, a very important day that he talked about, where the House of Representatives voted to pass the embryonic stem cell research bill, joining the Senate. That bill is now on its way to the President's desk.

It is because of the work of Senator Harkin over the years and his advocacy and his not giving up that we are here today. I am very proud to join him on the floor to urge the President, now, to do the right thing.

The House of Representatives today, in voting for this bill, offered hope to millions of Americans in supporting embryonic stem cell research. There is now one person who can make this decision for millions of Americans and that is the President of the United States. He has a choice. He can stand with so many people who are looking for that desperately needed cure or he will stand against them. I hope, similar to my colleague from Iowa, the President pauses, thinks about the lives he holds in his hands and makes the right choice and signs the bill for embryonic stem cell research.

This is an issue I know personally. I grew up in a family of nine. My dad was a wonderful, physically active human being. He served our Nation in World War II; raising his children. He was a strong man. In my eyes when I was growing up, he was indestructible, but when I turned 15 years old, things changed dramatically in my life and my dad's life. My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That is a horrific disease, for anyone who is not familiar with it. It wasn't long until he could no longer walk, he was in a wheelchair and required my mother to take care of him full time.

It was a very difficult time for my family. We had to watch my dad deteriorate physically. We had to watch as my mom returned to work. She was on welfare for a while and finally was able to get some schooling and get a job. But she had to work, take care of my dad, and raise all seven kids.

We all hoped a cure one day would be found for my dad and people like him. You never lose hope when something such as this happens to you. It is essential to dealing with what you have been handed. But we were also realistic. Scientists didn't have any promising leads, doctors said there wasn't much they could do, there was no cure on the horizon, there was nothing to hinge our hope on when I was growing up. But now we have a chance finally to offer families across this country hope, opportunity, a chance for a cure.

It is time for President Bush to stop his obstruction and to stop saying no to cures and to stop saying no to hope for families such as mine.

Unfortunately, we know since being elected, President Bush has blocked robust federally funded research on embryonic stem cells. Originally, he told us there would be 78 stem cell lines available for study. In truth, there were only 21, far fewer than scientists say are needed for this research.

Even the Director of the National Institutes of Health, as Senator Harkin talked about, who was appointed by President Bush, said: ``It is clear today that American science would be better served, and the Nation would be better served, if we let our scientists have access to more cell lines. .....''

The President refused to heed that advice from the scientific community
or his own Director of the National Institutes of Health. He did so--why? To pacify the ideological views of a few in his political base. What he did by blocking that was to force millions of Americans who suffer from many ailments to put their hope on hold and to stand idly by and watch as a family member's condition worsened.

Besides putting the hopes of millions of people on hold, the President's action actually pushed stem cell research overseas. Our country, which has been known as the world leader in medicine and in scientific research, is now falling behind other countries in this field.

Reuters recently reported that British scientists, with funding from an American who was upset with President Bush's actions, were using embryonic stem cell research to cure some forms of blindness.

Our country must remain at the forefront of innovation. Institutions such as the University of Washington, in my home State, have to have the ability to compete with organizations in other countries. This President has denied that.

The bill that has been sent to the President today is on its way to his desk. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 allows the Department of Health and Human Services to finally begin robust research on embryonic stem cells from frozen embryos, embryos, it is important to note, that would otherwise be discarded.

That bill also promotes research into funding alternative ways to derive stem cells from embryos, and it does these things while it imposes strict ethical guidelines, as all of us have insisted upon. In fact, the standards in the legislation that is on its way to the President's desk today are more stringent than even the President's own policy.

Most important, though, the legislation we want this President to sign takes hope off hold for millions of Americans. We all know the President has threatened to once again veto this legislation, as he did last year. I am here today, and I hope he hears me, to say: Please don't do that.

There are millions of sick Americans and their families who are watching and waiting and praying and hoping he signs this bill. If he vetoes this bill, he will likely claim, as he did last year, the legislation is unnecessary since researching adult stem cells, which he supports, is as promising as studying embryonic stem cells.

Similar to last year, he would be wrong. Scientists say embryonic cells, which can be used to grow any type of human or cell tissue, show the most promise. They offer the most hope.

I have lived with someone with a serious illness. I have seen the suffering that happens, personally, to their families, and to everyone around them. I know how hard it can be. We must not block the discovery of cures for these people. We must not block their hope. Today, at least 17 million Americans suffer from diabetes. At least 500,000 Americans suffer from Parkinson's, 250,000 Americans suffer from multiple sclerosis, and 250,000 have spinal cord injuries, including, I would add, many veterans of the Iraq war. All these Americans, and many others who suffer from a variety of conditions, will stand to benefit from embryonic stem cell research.

Finally, today, in sending this bill to the President, this Congress is offering a chance to families across the country to have hope, to have an opportunity, to have a chance for a cure. I hope President Bush hears their calls, picks up that pen, stops his obstruction, stops saying no to cures, and signs his name to the legislation. We are all watching.

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