mr. speaker , i rise in support of h.r. 810 .  this bipartisan legislation will enhance existing stern cell research and help our nation 's scientists make significant progress toward the development of treatments for conditions affecting more than 100 million americans .  but this is not just about americans .  for years , our country has led the world in medical advancements , and people from around the globe travel here for medical education as well as for lifesaving care .  today , the house is considering opening new lines of research -- research that will help the united states retain its place as a world leader in this burgeoning new field , while helping to alleviate the pain and suffering of many around the world .  current federal policy , put into place by president bush on august 9 , 2001 , allows federal funds to be used to support research from the stern cell lines that existed on that date , but it bans the creation of additional stern cells from embryos that are stored at in vitro fertilization clinics .  to many observers , this policy seemed a reasonable compromise at the time , as many scientists believed that the existing 78 stern cell lines would be available for use .  in fact , only 22 lines are available and some of these were found to have been contaminated from contact with mouse `` feeder '' cells .  in addition , the 22 available lines were developed using science that has since seen significant improvements .  scientists at the national institutes of health report that these lines also lack the genetic diversity necessary to perform extensive research for diseases that disproportionately since the president 's policy was implemented , i have heard from hundreds of marylanders who have been diagnosed with debilitating illnesses , including leukemia , diabetes , parkinson 's disease , alzheimer 's disease , and spinal cord injuries .  they are grateful for the federal research funding that congress has provided in past years , particularly the doubling of the nih budget over a five year period , and they look to the future with hope that more effective treatments and someday , cures , will be forthcoming .  i have also heard from the academic medical centers across the country .  these are the places where the most complex medical procedures are performed , where medical school graduates from around the world are trained , where our most groundbreaking research is conducted .  two of the finest academic medical centers are located in baltimore -- the university of maryland medical center and the johns hopkins university medical center .  this bill presents an opportunity to expand their ability to make life saving and life extending discoveries .  some of my colleagues have raised ethical concerns about stem cell research , and i believe that this bill effectively addresses these concerns .  the authors of this bill , mr. castle and ms. degette , have written this legislation so as to not encourage the creation of human embryos for research or for any other purposes .  this bill stipulates that all embryos used for research must have been originally created for in vitro fertilization and are in excess of clinical need ; it requires that the embryos would not have been implanted and would have otherwise been discarded ; and it requires donors to provide written consent before embryos may be donated for research .  these guidelines are ethically sound ; they help ensure that enhancing stem cell research policy will not come at the expense of respect for human life .  it is not certain that stem cell research will result in cures , but it is fairly certain that if we close off promising avenues , such as stem cell research , finding those therapies and cures will take much longer .  in 2001 , two months before president bush issued his stem cell policy , sue stamos and her daughter , faith , came to visit me in my office .  at the time , faith was three years old -- a very brave little girl who had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes .  sue asked for my support for federal research to help find a cure for faith , and i promised to do everything i could to help .  back in june of 2001 , our knowledge of stem cell research 's potential was nowhere near what it is now , and we did not yet know what the president would propose .  today , we have much broader and deeper knowledge about the scientific possibilities of stem cells , but much less capacity to research stem cell lines than we had anticipated .  today , i will vote to keep my promise to sue and faith stamos and to the thousands of other marylanders who are waiting for cures .  i will vote to expand the stem cells lines available for federally funded research .  mr. speaker , in closing , i must note that stem cell research is a controversial and emotional subject .  it touches on questions of human suffering , medical ethics , scientific potential , the role of government , moral considerations , and life itself .  h.r. 810 strikes the right balance .  it encourages research , but it does not encourage the creation of embryos for research purposes .  it allows us to support the efforts of the brilliant scientists in our research institutions who have dedicated their careers to alleviating the suffering of others .  it allows us to honor the wishes of in vitro fertilization donors who want to make a contribution toward medical advancement .  it was right for the leadership to allow a vote on this important bill , and it is right for the house to pass it .  i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 810 .  