mr. speaker , i rise in support of the stem cell research enhancement act . 
the american people need and want a carefully crafted stem cell research policy that allows us to seek scientific breakthroughs . 
we do not have such a policy today . 
the stem cell policy established by president bush is severely restrictive and arbitrary . 
the national institutes of health has reported that of the 78 stem cell lines promised by president bush , only 22 lines meet the president 's criteria for use . 
a number of those lines have developed genetic mutations which will make research on them useless . 
the vast majority of the remaining usable lines are in other countries that have shown little interest in making them available to u.s. researchers . 
as a result , our researchers are falling behind their counterparts in other countries , and our citizens are watching their hopes for cures within their lifetimes slip away . 
what is at stake are potential cures for diseases such as alzheimer 's , parkinson 's , diabetes and cancer . 
the stem cell research enhancement act expands the number of stem cell lines that are available for federally funded research . 
the bill also implements strong ethical requirements on stem cell lines that would be eligible for federally funded research . 
this is an issue that can impact families across america , crossing all lines of income , political persuasion or religious affiliation . 
furthermore , delay in effectively resolving this issue could for countless americans be a matter of basic health or indeed life . 
keeping in mind the essential federal role in critical basic health research , i believe that it is essential that we support this bill so our country can continue in the lead in exploring the frontiers of science and medicine . 
