mr. speaker , i yield myself the balance of my time . 
mr. speaker , there has been a lot of discussion today about the quality of adult stem cells and they are not as versatile as embryonic stem cells . 
there are a number of things that show adult stem cells are highly versatile and just as effective if not more effective than the predicted embryonic stems . 
the list of these studies is as follows : myth : adult stem cells are not as versatile as embryonic stem cells . 
fact : a number of studies show adult stem cells are highly versatile . 
1 . 
professor alan mackay-sim of griffith university in australia published a study showing that olfactory stem cells could develop into heart cells , liver cells , kidney cells , muscle cells , brain cells and nerve cells . 
( murrell w et al. , `` multipotent stem cells from adult olfactory mucosa '' , developmental dynamics published online 21 march 2005. ) 2 . 
dr . 
douglas losordo at tufts university showed that a type of bone marrow stem cell can turn into most tissue types , and can regenerate damaged heart . 
`` this discovery represents a major breakthrough in stem-cell therapy , '' said dr . 
douglas losordo . 
`` based on our findings we believe these newly discovered stem-cells may have the capacity to generate into most tissue types in the human body . 
this is a very unique property that until this time has only been found in embryonic stem cells. '' 3 . 
in july 2004 , research conducted in germany , led by dr . 
peter wernet found a type of umbilical cord blood stem cell , they call ussc 's ( unrestricted somatic stem cells ) , that they showed can turn into several different cell types , including brain , bone , cartilage , liver , heart , and blood cells . 
it showed that the cells can turn into all three germ layers , showing they are pluripotent . 
( kogler g et al. , `` a new human somatic stem cell from placental cord blood with intrinsic pluripotent differentiation potential '' , j. experimental medicine 200 , 123-135 , 19 july 2004. ) 4 . 
in june 2004 , researchers showed that human bone marrow stem cells have pluripotent potential . 
( d'ippolito g et al. , `` marrow-isolated adult multilineage inducible ( miami ) cells , a unique population of postnatal young and old human cells with extensive expansion and differentiation potential '' , j. cell science 117 , 2971-2981 , 15 july 2004 ( published online 1 june 2004 ) 5 . 
this study shows that blood stem cells can form cells from all 3 primary germ layers , including endothelial cells , neuronal cells , and liver cells . 
( zhao y et al. ; `` a human peripheral blood monocyte-derived subset acts as pluripotent stem cells '' ; proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa 100 , 2426-2431 ; 4 march 2003 ) 6 . 
researchers found bone marrow stem cells in females that received transplants from male donors . 
researchers found the y chromosome in the brain , showing that bone marrow stem cells generated neurons . 
( mezey e et al. ; `` transplanted bone marrow generates new neurons in human brains '' ; proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa 100 , 1364-1369 ; 4 feb 2003 ) 7 . 
another group of researchers showed that bone marrow stem cells can form all body tissues . 
( jiang y et al. ; `` pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrow '' ; nature 418 , 41-49 ; 4 july 2002 ) 8 . 
in 2002 , catherine verfaille has turned these bone marrow stem cells into skin , brain , lungs , heart , retina , muscle , intestines , kidney and spleen . 
university of minnesota researchers found a certain type of bone marrow stem cell ( called a multipotent adult progenitor cells ( mapcs ) ) that could be turned into the three primary germ layers ( endoderm , ectoderm , ectoderm and mesoderm ) . 
( nature advance online publication , 23 june 2002 ( doi : 10.1038/nature 00870 ) 9 . 
a single adult mouse bone marrow stem cell can form functional marrow , blood cells , liver , lung , gastrointestinal tract , skin , heart and skeletal muscle according to researchers dr . 
neil theise of ny univ . 
school of medicine and dr . 
diane krause of yale univ . 
school of medicine ( krause ds et al. ; `` multi-organ , multi-lineage engraftment by a single bone marrow-derived stem cell '' ; cell 105 , 369-377 ; 4 may 2001 ) mr. speaker , we have heard a lot of arguments . 
in fact , we just heard again that in fact we throw these cells away when we are done . 
we do not want them . 
there is nothing we can do with them so we should use them for medical research or else it will just be medical waste . 
i must ask again , is that what we have come to as a nation that in viewing embryos , that if allowed to grow and divide could become human beings but we will just treat them as human waste ? 
the proponents of h.r. 810 are so adamant that we do research specifically using embryonic stem cells . 
and why embryonic stem cells ? 
because they are the best hope according to proponents of finding cures . 
they say medical science can unlock these keys to life . 
we can cure any illness , any disease , or any injury . 
the proponents argue we must create life , the embryo , and then destroy the embryo through research to unlock the mysteries of life ; create and clone the building blocks of life so we can manipulate and experiment . 
i believe as a country and as a culture that is a line we should not cross . 
we heard today about other research with adult stem cells , cord , placenta , bone marrow , fetal tissue , and how about unraveling our dna through the mapping of the genome , all in the pursuit of finding medical cures . 
but where do we draw a line on medical research and say we as a nation , as a people , will not cross that line ? 
this question has not been adequately addressed in this legislation . 
when do embryos become life ? 
we have heard all kinds of figures today . 
after 40 hours ? 
that is less than 2 days after fertilization when we are able to check embryos for division and fertilization . 
or is it 5 days when the embryos may be called blastocysts ? 
at this stage , they are approximately 250 cells . 
or do we allow the blastocysts to survive in the laboratory culture for up to 14 days and still then not call them human life , but blastocysts so they are open to experiment and research ? 
when does life become scientifically non-existent ? 
that is the question as elected representatives we have not yet answered . 
h.r. 810 does not answer that . 
vote `` no '' on h.r. 810 . 
