mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time .  i rise in strong support of the legislation before us which i consider to be extremely important .  it builds on the president 's policy by merely allowing the use of embryonic stem cells created for fertility purposes to be donated with permission , but without payment , by the woman for research , research to cure some of the terrible diseases that plague our lives .  these free citizens would simply exercise their right and their conscience in donating embryos that would otherwise be discarded , destroyed , as waste .  i believe we have a moral responsibility to advance the research that saves lives , relieves pain , and prevents suffering , rather than destroying those embryos .  those embryos could produce the stem cells that would save lives , and should not be destroyed as waste .  why do we have to do this today ?  because if we do not , stem cell research will be done , but will not be uniformly governed by nih 's ethics policy .  why do we have to do this today ?  because no nation has created a sustained , strong , globally-competitive economy without the freedom to research the frontiers of knowledge .  finally , why do we have to do this today ?  because it is the right thing .  now , we have heard a lot of discussion on the floor today about destroying these cells as taking life and , as a matter of conscience , this is a complicated issue and one on which we disagree .  if you believe life begins when the sperm enters the egg , then , yes , you would believe this is a taking of life , though we would unceremoniously toss those same cells into a waste bucket .  but if you believe that life begins when the fertilized egg is implanted in the mother 's womb , which , of course , is essential for it to realize its potential for life , then using a fertilized egg that has not been implanted is not a taking of life .  if , further , you believe that life begins later in the process , then you are not taking life .  so i ask each of my colleagues to think carefully in conscience when life does begin ; and , on that issue , your vote on this bill rests .  