mr. speaker , i rise today in strong support of the gentleman from new jersey ( mr. smith 's ) stem cell therapeutics and research act of 2005 , and commend the gentleman for his courageous and principled stand for the sanctity of life . 
as a physician member , i know that significant successes are being reported from the use of umbilical cord stem cells in the treatment of 67 diseases , including sickle cell anemia , leukemia , osteoporosis and lymphoma . 
there is great promise in this research . 
umbilical cord stem cells , unlike embryonic stem cells can be matched to a recipient by blood type , gender , ethnicity , that results in fewer tissue rejections . 
compare this to embryonic stem cells . 
aside from the fact that harvesting embryonic stem cells results in the destruction of innocent life , embryonic stem cells are gathered without knowledge of blood cell type , without assurance that they are free from infection , and without screening for genetic defects . 
these embryonic stem cells may be mismatched , carry infection , or have genetic defects with cancer-producing potential . 
there is a better way , mr. speaker . 
it is h.r. 2520 , which enhances federal funding for expanding the already successful use of umbilical cord stem cells . 
when you consider the ethics and the science and the debate , it is clear that cord blood stem cells are the right choice for our federal funding and scientific support . 
