mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume .  mr. speaker , this debate we are having surrounding h.r. 810 , the stem cell research enhancement act , is really one of the most fundamentally important debates that this body can undertake .  regrettably , this discussion will only last a few hours on the floor of the house of representatives today .  there have been no hearings on this bill or on the previous stem cell bill .  h.r. 810 addresses the most fundamental , basic , ethical issue : life , and when does it begin ; when should life , including human embryos , be open to experimentation and scientific research .  those of us who believe in the sanctity of life from conception to our last breath , find the logic of the proponents of embryonic stem cell research flawed .  h.r. 810 allows research and science to triumph philosophy and values .  this country seeks to be a world leader militarily , economically and scientifically , and culturally .  but what about morally and ethically ?  what about leading the world in ethics and morals by declaring human life off limits to research and to manipulation through stem cell research ?  what about leading the world in ethics and morals by declaring human life from embryonic stage to old age as valued ?  we , as a nation , believe that all life is precious and there is an ethical line that we as a people , as a nation , will not cross .  we should lead by declaring that human life , even at the embryonic stage , is not open to manipulation , experimentation , or research .  we can not mask the efforts to manipulate human life under the guise of science or medical research .  you and i , each of us , we all share one thing in common : we were all embryos at one time .  the embryos that were you and me were allowed to grow to become congressmen , congresswomen , police officers , factory workers , soldiers , government employees , lawyers , doctors , scientists .  we were all embryos at one time .  we were all allowed to grow .  whether an embryo , a human life , is or is not allowed to grow , to become a unique individual , is a discussion this country really should have , a meaningful discussion , not just a few hours of debate in this chamber .  it is my hope that families , individuals , couples and our children will have a discussion on human life and when it begins .  is an embryo life ?  at what point does an embryo become life ?  at what point does our nation shelter life with the constitutional , legal , and governmental safeguards ?  are there other ways to do promising medical and scientific research without destroying human embryos ?  this is an ethical discussion i hoped would take place in the halls of congress , in the congressional committee rooms , in homes and workplaces all across america .  whether it is at the watercooler or in the cloakroom , these ethical and moral issues should and must be discussed as a nation , as a people , as a culture , and as a world leader .  instead , this will only be discussed for a few hours on the house floor .  the other body has just gone through public , political , and senatorial debate on the use of a filibuster in our democracy .  because of this debate , a healthy discussion occurred in america .  i , for one , do not wish to avoid the moral and ethical issues of stem cell research debate .  yesterday in a news show , the commentator asked me why not allow stem cell research on discarded medical waste .  is that what we have come to , to viewing embryos , which if allowed to grow and divide would become human beings , being treated as medical waste ?  why are proponents of h.r. 810 so adamant that we do research specifically using embryonic stem cells ?  according to the proponents of this legislation , these stem cells are our best hope of finding cures .  they can develop into all cells of the body .  they say medical science can unlock the keys to life .  we can cure any disease or injury .  they argue we must create life and then kill it to unlock the mysteries of life for scientific medical research .  create and clone the building blocks of life so we can manipulate and experiment ?  is that the line we wish to cross today ?  we will hear today about other research with adult stem cells , cord and placenta cells , bone marrow , fetal tissue , and unraveling our dna through mapping of genome , all in the pursuit of finding medical cures for the dreaded diseases , illnesses , and injuries we all wish to cure .  but where do we draw the line on medical research and say we as a nation , we as a people will not cross that line ?  this question has not been adequately addressed in this legislation .  when do embryos become life ?  if you read the materials , after 40 hours , less than 2 days , the fertilized egg begins to divide and the embryos are checked after 40 hours .  or is it 5 days when embryos are called blastocysts ?  at this stage there are approximately 250 cells .  or do we allow the blastocysts to survive in a laboratory culture for up to 14 days and still not call them human life but blastocysts so they are still open to research and experimentation ?  when does life become scientifically nonexistent ?  i ask these questions because h.r. 810 is silent on these issues .  it does not specify how long these embryos are allowed to grow before they are killed -- 2 days , 5 days , 14 days or more .  proponents of h.r. 810 will claim that their legislation will address the ethical manner in which this research will be conducted .  yet their legislation is silent on the ethics , other than subsection c that directs the secretary of hhs to create guidelines within 60 days .  two presidential bioethics advisory panels have given us differing guidance on when and how research should be conducted .  if this nation , through its elected leaders , allows embryonic stem cell research , then we as representatives of the american people should have the courage to state unequivocally where we stand and answer the ethical questions presented before us here today .  as elected leaders , we should set some basic guidelines , not leave the guidelines to unelected and unnamed administrative officials .  i know many members on both sides of the aisle , of all political philosophies , have struggled with questions of morality , questions of life and questions of faith this past week .  many of us have asked ourselves that same question , and i have concluded that this legislation is unethical and unnecessary .  h.r. 810 mandates federal tax dollars to be used to destroy human embryos .  these embryos , if allowed to live , would grow into beautiful children like the snowflake children visiting the capitol today .  they are human life .  you , i and they were embryonic stem cells that were allowed to grow .  congress should not take lightly the destruction and manipulation of human life .  it is clear that the american public does not .  forty-three percent of the american public clearly opposes more federal funding for human embryonic research .  fifty-three percent clearly support more federal funding , according to cnn .  as i said before , this legislation has no limits as to how long the embryo can grow .  the national academy of sciences ' guidelines recommends allowing them to grow for no more than 14 days .  again , this legislation is not necessary .  human embryonic stem cell research is completely legal today in the private sector .  embryonic stem cell research is eligible for state funding in several states , california and new jersey , and is funded through millions of dollars in private research money , $ 100 million alone at harvard university .  since august 2001 , 128 stem cell lines have been created .  and still human embryonic stem cell research is funded by the federal government today .  the national institute of health spent $ 24 million on embryonic stem cell research in fiscal year 2004 , the last year that data was available .  twenty-two human embryonic stem cell lines are currently receiving federal funding .  these lines are sufficient for basic research according to the nih director .  former secretary of health and human services tommy thompson has said that these lines should be exhausted first before we move any further .  finally , embryonic stem cell research remains unproven .  not a single therapy has been developed from embryonic stem cell research .  instead of cures , embryonic stem cell research has led to tumors and deaths in animal studies .  the gentleman from florida ( mr. weldon )  has had his staff scour the medical journals for real proof of therapeutic benefit of embryonic stem cell research , but has come up empty handed .  there have been zero published treatments in human patients using embryonic stem cells .  while the promise of embryonic stem cells is questionable , the promise of adult stem cell research is being realized today .  adult stem cells are being used today to save lives .  recognizing this , the national institutes of health spent $ 568 million in fiscal year 2006 on adult stem cell research .  adult stem cells are being used today in clinical trials and in clinical practice to treat 58 diseases , including parkinson 's , spinal cord injury , juvenile diabetes , brain cancer , breast cancer , lymphoma , heart damage , rheumatoid arthritis , juvenile arthritis , stroke , and sickle cell anemia .  i am pleased the house is passing legislation today , the stem cell therapeutic and research act , to promote adult stem cell research .  but we are faced now with a bill that is unethical and incomplete .  h.r. 810 says nothing about human cloning , which is still perfectly legal today .  i introduced legislation with the gentleman from florida ( mr. weldon )  and senators brownback and landrieu to ban all human cloning .  the inevitable truth is that if we pass this bill today , the cloning of a human baby will only come sooner .  there is no room for shades of gray on this issue .  the , quote , therapeutic cloning that will result from this legislation will make reproductive cloning even more likely .  we should not allow the creation of life for the purpose of destroying it .  that is what happens with this bill .  let me be clear .  i am committed to funding scientific research that will unlock the origins of disease and develop cures that can help my constituents .  again , 58 conditions are being treated using placental and adult stem cells , and we can not begin to imagine the promising new treatments and drugs on the horizon .  but we can not let science leapfrog our ethics , our morals and our legal system .  this is not a partisan issue , and it is bigger than a right-to-life issue .  it is clear that adult stem cell research has opened the door to the dreams of lifesaving treatments and cures for our most deadly and debilitating diseases , but i do not believe it is time to open the door to more embryonic stem cell research and open the floodgates to human cloning .  i urge my colleagues to vote against h.r. 810 .  mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time .  