mr. speaker , i rise today to support not only h.r. 2520 , but also h.r. 810 , the castle/degette legislation to expand federal research for embryonic stem cells . 
undoubtedly , each of us on this floor today has a friend , family member or neighbor who could benefit from increased embryonic stem cell research , whether they suffer from spinal cord injury , alzheimer 's , ms or juvenile diabetes . 
as we consider both the castle/degette stem cell bill and the smith legislation on umbilical cord stem cells , it is important we differentiate between the effects of these two bills . 
i support both of them . 
but one is not a substitute for the other . 
the castle/degette bill will expand research on embryonic stem cells , which would have the ability to reproduce indefinitely and to evolve into any cell type in the body . 
it is this element of embryonic cell research that offers the most hope for finding cures to the diverse set of diseases that plague too many americans . 
we can not take away that hope by shutting the door on federal research on embryonic stem cells . 
the president 's policy shut that door , and we have lost 4 years of robust research that will be needed to cure the most complex diseases . 
opponents of this bill will say that the embryonic cell research is unproven , but we will never know the true promise of embryonic stem cells if we hold back federal dollars for the research . 
if embryonic stem cell research gets us even one step closer to curing parkinson 's , spinal cord injury and alzheimer 's , it is worth every penny . 
just ask michael j. fox , dana reeves or nancy reagan . 
these tremendous people , as well as countless more in each of our communities , know what it is like to live every day waiting for your cure . 
slamming the door on stem cell research slams the door in their faces . 
we talk about using our values to pass legislation to help people . 
both these bills are important to helping people with such terrible illnesses . 
this last saturday i helped my wife 's mom move into a nursing home . 
she was diagnosed with alzheimer 's in the mid-1990s . 
we have watched the progression of that terrible disease . 
nothing can help my mother-in-law . 
but by voting today for both these bills , we can help maybe the next generation , instead of sticking our heads in the sand . 
i urge my colleagues to do the right thing for the millions of americans suffering from incurable diseases . 
pass both the castle/degette bill and the smith legislation and keep the hope for embryonic cell and cord blood research alive . 
