mr. speaker , on the birthday of my daughter , katy , who was born 8-10 weeks prematurely , but still lives and blesses my life .  there are so many well-meaning people who want to see others cured .  we , everyone of us in this body , want that .  we know that .  it is being said that no one will be harmed by the use or destruction of human embryos that were going to be waste anyway .  dear friends , when you use the product of the callous mistreatment of life , even though you use sterilized gloves , you nonetheless are an accomplice after the fact in encouraging future such destruction and mistreatment -- even though you have the very very best of intentions .  how many times as a judge have i heard , `` but , i never meant to hurt anyone .  i thought i was just helping. '' in the recent past , we lost a great american who had been injured in an accident and who encouraged the use of embryonic stem cells .  that man had a heart as big as all outdoors and is an inspiration to so very many of us .  his strength and courage and perseverance in the face of unsurmountable odds should be an encouragement for all who face adversity .  he is quoted as saying something that others have said , but as a justification for embryonic stem cell usage -- basically that we should be about doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people .  that is the utilitarian way .  it is worth noting that if a society only did what was the greatest good for the greatest number of people , that society would kill off the elderly who were no longer productive and kill off the young who were not likely to ever be very productive .  that would also be a society that did not spend time trying to fix something that had been extremely broken .  that is a society that would simply weigh the cost to repair a human , decide that such person was `` totaled '' then clone a new one to replace it .  that society would be killing its very soul .  that is not the american way .  we want to be a help to the helpless , and speak for those who ca n't speak .  a moral society should do that .  to demand money from american taxpayers so that we as a congress can encourage the destructive use of life under the guise that it may be thrown away anyway , is not a direction that this america should go .  our history has been that , rather than destroying life , we go to all kinds of extremes to save it .  if a child is in a deep hole , america sends all the resources it has to try to save it regardless of cost .  when someone may not return from a trip to the moon , we use every available resource to try to bring them home .  when a soldier is captured or out on the battlefield wounded , many others often risk their lives to save the one .  that has been , that should be our legacy .  it is a bit offensive that some would come forward and assert that we are telling individuals with lou gehrigs disease and other terribly debilitating diseases that we will not look for a cure -- that we basically do not care .  we are looking for cures and we are doing so with the most promising avenues available and that is with stem cells that do not destroy life .  it is extremely offensive that some would come forward and say basically that in the name of religion , christian and jewish groups support the federal government 's certain destruction of embryos under the possibility that at some point it somehow may lead to possibly saving a life or lives .  if we are going to invoke the thought of , as our forefathers ' put it , our creator , then let 's at least invoke our creator 's unwavering honesty .  the truth is that this bill is not determining whether embryonic stem cell research will go on .  if it is so incredibly and amazingly promising , do you know who would be all over this ?  private pharmaceutical and health care industries would be in pursuit knowing that if they find a cure , they will be the most profitable company on the face of the earth .  but it is not private investment capital that is being sought .  it is people wanting grants that will be torn from the pockets of taxpayers against the will of perhaps half of them or more ( polling data from those with an agenda is not all that trustworthy ) and putting it into someone else 's pocket in the name of destroying embryos .  embryonic stem cell research can go on and has gone on with billions of dollars from some states and from some private money .  what many of us are saying about this legislation is , if it is so promising , you go raise the capital privately by buying stock to use in embryonic stem cell research , and let our tax dollars go to the stem cell research that seeks to both save and make lives better .  i know this is a matter of conscience , and i do so know and believe in the integrity and great intentions of many of those who disagree , but please do not take my tax dollars for money to destroy life .  let those who feel so compelled , spend your own , but i would hope even then you would spend your own money on the lines with the most promise and not take life in the name of helping life .  may god not only bless , but have mercy on us all .  