mr. speaker , this is an important day for us in congress . 
i myself am deeply indebted to the gentlewoman from colorado ( ms. degette ) xz4001010 and the gentleman from delaware ( mr. castle ) xz4000700 for their great leadership and courage in bringing this legislation to the floor . 
i thank the gentleman from delaware ( mr. castle ) xz4000700 and the gentlewoman from colorado ( ms. degette ) xz4001010 . 
this is important legislation because every family in america , every family in america is just one phone call away , one diagnosis , one accident away from needing the benefits of stem cell research . 
we want all of the research to proceed , the umbilical cord research that we talked about this morning , and adult stem cell research . 
that is all very important . 
but we must have the embryonic stem cell research if we are truly going to have science have the potential it has to cure diseases . 
i served for many years , probably 10 , on the labor-hhs subcommittee which funds the national institutes of health . 
so i have studied this issue over the years . 
what we are doing here today is recognizing the miraculous power to cure that exists at the national institutes of health and in other institutes of excellence in research throughout our country . 
we are recognizing the miraculous , almost biblical power that science has to cure . 
and what we have said , what we are saying here today is nothing that should not be considered of value . 
what we are saying is when these embryos are in excess of the needs of in vitro fertilization , rather than be destroyed , they will be used for basic biomedical research . 
it is interesting to me because when i first came to the congress , some of the same forces out there that are against this embryonic stem cell research were very much against in vitro fertilization . 
it is difficult to imagine that now , but they were against in vitro fertilization and considered it not to be on high moral ground . 
the research is going to occur with federal funding or without . 
it should not occur without high ethical standards that the federal funding can bring to it . 
in order for our country to be preeminent in science , we must have the most talented , the most excellent scientists . 
they will not be attracted to a situation which limits scientific inquiry . 
as we all know , in science as in business , talent attracts capital , the capital to build the labs and all that is needed to do the research , and those labs in turn attract the excellent scientists , and that makes us first in the world , preeminent in science . 
we can not allow this important endeavor to go offshore . 
i am particularly proud of my state of california where the people of california in a bipartisan way , as we are doing today , voted a commitment of resources to invest in embryonic stem cell research . 
we in california will become the regenerative capital of america , indeed , probably of the world . 
but this should be happening all over the country , and it should not depend on the local initiative of the state . 
that is good , but it should be coming from the leadership of the federal government with the ethical standards that go with it . 
we have ethical standards in california . 
they should be uniform throughout our country . 
to some , this debate may seem like a struggle between faith and science . 
while i have the utmost respect , and the gentlemen know i do , for those who oppose this bill on moral grounds , i believe faith and science have at least one thing in common : both are searches for truth . 
america has room for both faith and science . 
indeed , with the great potential for medical research , science has the power to answer the prayers of america 's families . 
i believe strongly in the power of prayer ; but part of that prayer is for a cure , and science can provide that . 
many religious leaders endorse the castle/degette bill because of their respect for life and because they believe science , within the bounds of ethics and religious beliefs , can save lives and improve its quality . 
groups as diverse as the united church of christ , the union for reform judaism , the united methodist church , the episcopal church , and the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america all support this bill . 
the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america says the traditional jewish perspective emphasizes the potential to save and heal human lives is an integral part of valuing human life . 
the episcopal church in its letter in support of this legislation says : `` as stewards of creation , we are called to help men and renew the world in many ways . 
the episcopal church celebrates medical research as this research expands our knowledge of god 's creation and empowers us to bring potential healing to those who suffer from disease and disability. '' this is what they wrote , and much more , in support of this legislation . 
it is our duty to bring hope to the sick and the disabled , not to bind the hands of those who can bring them hope . 
i believe god guided our researchers to discover the stem cells power to heal . 
this bill will enable science to live up to its potential to again answer the prayers of america 's families . 
i urge all of my colleagues to support this bill , thank all of our colleagues on both sides of this issue for their very dignified approach to how we are dealing with this legislation today , but also say that today is a historic day , that the gentleman from delaware ( mr. castle ) xz4000700 and the gentlewoman from colorado ( ms. degette ) xz4001010 have given us the opportunity to move forward , again to answer the prayers of america 's families , to meet their needs , to allow the science to use its biblical power to cure ; and for that i am deeply in their debt . 
