mr. speaker , i appreciate the gentleman 's courtesy of yielding me this time .  i have been touched by the personal stories that we have heard here today .  i think people are genuinely speaking from the heart .  but the issue remains that we have embryonic stem cells that are either going to be thrown away for largely theological reasons , or they will be used for research to save lives .  this research is going to take place in the united states and around the world .  the question is , how rapidly ?  the question is whether the united states government 's official policy will remain frozen in place , or whether we will exert the same type of leadership that we have exerted in other areas of research , technology , and dealing with human health .  for the sake of life , for the sake of health , for the sake of our families , i hope that this legislation passes , that we will be able to make sure that the federal government exerts its appropriate role in making sure that we have the resources , the direction , and the control to do this successfully .  