S. HRG. 108–958 EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH: EXPLORING THE CONTROVERSY HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 81–636 PDF WASHINGTON : 2013 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:32 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\81636.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina, CONRAD BURNS, Montana Ranking TRENT LOTT, Mississippi DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas JOHN B. BREAUX, Louisiana GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota PETER G. FITZGERALD, Illinois RON WYDEN, Oregon JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada BARBARA BOXER, California GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire MARIA CANTWELL, Washington FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey JEANNE BUMPUS, Republican Staff Director and General Counsel ROBERT W. CHAMBERLIN, Republican Chief Counsel KEVIN D. KAYES, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel GREGG ELIAS, Democratic General Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska JOHN B. BREAUX, Louisiana, Ranking CONRAD BURNS, Montana JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia TRENT LOTT, Mississippi JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada RON WYDEN, Oregon GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:32 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\81636.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on September 29, 2004 ..................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Brownback ........................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Dorgan ................................................................................. 28 Statement of Senator Ensign .................................................................................. 31 Statement of Senator Wyden .................................................................................. 2 Article dated September 20, 2004 from The Washington Post entitled, ‘‘Two Studies Bolster Stem Cells’ Use in Fighting Disease’’ by Rick Weiss .............................................................................................................. 3 Article dated August 17, 2004 from USA Today entitled, ‘‘Nobel Laureate decrees limits on stem cell research’’ by Katharine Webster, Associated Press ............................................................................................................... 4 WITNESSES Daley, M.D., Ph.D., George Q., Representing the American Society for Cell Biology ................................................................................................................... 38 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 40 Doerflinger, Richard M., Deputy Director, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops .................................................................. 10 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 13 Hedrick, M.D., Marc, President, MacroPore .......................................................... 61 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 63 Prentice, Ph.D., Dr. David A., Senior Fellow for Life Sciences, Family Re- search Council; Affiliated Scholar, Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University Medical Center .................................................................................. 42 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 45 Zoloth, Ph.D, Laurie, Professor, Bioethics and Religion, Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program and Director of Bioethics, Center for Genetic Medi- cine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University .......................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 APPENDIX Article dated March 2004 entitled, ‘‘Voters’ Views on Stem Cell Research’’ prepared by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Civil Society Insti- tute ........................................................................................................................ 78 Lautenberg, Hon. Frank R., U.S. Senator from New Jersey, prepared state- ment ...................................................................................................................... 77 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:32 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\81636.TXT JACKIE VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:32 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\81636.TXT JACKIE EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH: EXPLORING THE CONTROVERSY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2 p.m. in room SR–253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Sam Brownback, Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SAM BROWNBACK, U.S. SENATOR FROM KANSAS Senator BROWNBACK. Call the hearing to order. Thank you all for joining us today. If we could have the first two witnesses please come up to the table, Senator Wyden and I have opening state- ments and then we’ll go with the witnesses. We have two votes, starting at 2:15. We’ll try to get as far along as we can before we take a break. I doubt if we can, two votes, back to back. But we want to move as far as we can. Calling this hearing, the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Tech- nology, and Space, to order. We had a hearing a couple of months ago on adult stem cell advances, and I stated at that time that we’d be holding one on embryonic stem cell. And that’s what this hear- ing is about today. And I appreciate all of you being here. As Chair of the Science Subcommittee, I called this hearing to examine the ethics and scientific advances of 20 years of embryonic stem cell research. The first panel of witnesses will discuss the eth- ics of embryonic stem cell research, and the second panel will ex- amine the scientific advances of embryonic stem cell research. It’s alleged that human embryonic stem cells are a veritable fount of cures for those afflicted with disease; however, to date, I am unaware of one person being cured from either private or feder- ally funded human embryonic stem cell research. In July, this Sub- committee heard testimony from real Parkinson’s and spinal injury patients whose lives have been dramatically improved by adult stem cell treatments. To date, 45 diseases and medical conditions in humans have been treated with adult stem cells, such as those taken from umbilical cord blood and placenta tissue where there are no ethical or moral problems. We need to put finite Federal dol- lars where they will make the most difference and do no harm. We will discuss the issues of cures on the second panel. First, we will start with the basic science. (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:32 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\GPO\DOCS\81636.TXT JACKIE 2 Science is very clear. Human embryos are living human beings at their earliest stages of development. A one cell zygote, whether created through fertilization or cloning, is human. We all agree it is alive and it is a human; the question seems to be, is it a life? Science is about the pursuit of truth in the service of mankind, and science tells us that the human embryo, whether created natu- rally or in a petri dish, is an organism of the species homo sapiens, a human being. To obtain human embryonic stem cells, human em- bryos must be destroyed. Is it right to destroy these human em- bryos, human beings, at the youngest stages of life, in order to col- lect their stem cells? I’ve called this hearing largely because I’m troubled that science is being distorted in the debate over human embryonic stem cells and that some are even casting doubt on the scientific fact that young human embryos are human lives. Make no mistake, this issue involves both biology and ethics. That’s why we have two sep- arate expert panels to discuss each of these issues separately. Let us be clear, when it is said that human life begins at the em- bryonic stage, biology is being discussed—not ideology, belief, or ethics. When it is said that no human life, young or old, should be taken, we are discussing the traditional Western ethic that have made our nation great. A human embryo is, biologically speaking, a young human life. It is not a scientific statement to assert that it is not a life or that