Landrieu Statement on
Stem Cell Research Bills

 

WASHINGTON – United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., who has herself introduced legislation to prohibit human cloning in all forms, today released the following statement after voting in favor of legislation to expand access to embryonic stem cells for research.

Sen. Landrieu said:

“There is no doubt that embryonic stem cell research holds the promise of curing diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer.  Even President Bush stressed in 2001 that federal dollars help attract the best and brightest scientists and help ensure that new discoveries are widely shared at the largest number of research facilities.  He’s right.  Federal funding not only allows us to encourage and financially support this research, it allows us to use the power of the purse to be sure it is done in the safest and most ethical way possible.

“While I for these reasons supported the legislation before the Senate today, which only applied to embryos which would have otherwise been discarded, it is important that we as a legislative body continue to work towards a ban on human cloning.  Creating a human embryo for the sole purpose of its destruction through experimentation is wrong, unethical and should be illegal.  Senator Brownback and I have introduced legislation in this regard, and as technology continues to advance, the likelihood of passage only increases.  We need only to turn on the evening news to see that cloning is a very real and present concern.”

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