mr. speaker , i rise today in opposition to h.r. 810 , but in strong support of adult stem cell research as it respects life . 
an embryo is a human at its earliest stage of life and deserves the same respect that we give infants , adolescents and adults . 
during this debate , some would attempt to justify embryonic stem cell research on the basis that we are dealing with something other than real human beings . 
we use the words stem cell , but we could also use the words nathan and noah . 
these are justifications based on definitions of life that are purely arbitrary . 
indeed , a human at the embryonic stage may look a little different than a human at the adult stage , but that does not make the embryo any less a human . 
the embryo possesses the genetic identity as it will as an adult . 
it is merely at an earlier stage in life . 
just as we find it unconscionable and unethical to exploit human life in the name of science during the latter stages of life , neither should we accept the exploitation of human life at its earliest stages . 
instead , we should focus our resources on supporting medical research such as cord blood and adult stem cell research that respect human lives and have an actual track record of creating cures . 
vote against h.r. 810 . 
