I believe we must respect human life. The life of the unborn is
precious and should be protected by federal law. I believe abortion
is wrong, and have consistently voted to protect the rights of the
unborn. I have supported efforts in Congress to end partial-birth
abortion, stop federally funded abortions, and prevent human
cloning.
STATEMENT ON STEM CELL RESEARCH VOTES
July 18th, 2006 -
Washington, DC - Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the
following statement after Senate consideration of three bills
related to stem cell research: S. 2754, a bill to aid research into
techniques of deriving pluripotent stem cells without harming or
destroying human embryos; S. 3504, a bill to prohibit the
solicitation or acceptance of tissue from human fetuses gestated and
aborted solely for research purposes; and H.R. 810, which would use
Federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage research that
involves the destruction of human embryos. Senator Thune voted in
favor of S. 2754 and S. 3504, and against H.R. 810.
"Stem cell research holds significant promise, and that's why I
support expanding and exploring adult and cord blood stem cell
research. However, research on human embryonic stem cells presents
significant ethical dilemmas, in part because extracting the stem
cells destroys the embryo, and thus destroys its potential for human
life. I strongly believe this research must be conducted in a
careful and ethical way that respects human life," said Thune. "Last
year I voted for S.1317, the Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Therapy and
Research Act of 2005, which was signed into law on December 20,
2005, and authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to
enter into contracts with qualified cord blood banks to create and
maintain a national inventory of 150,000 new high quality cord blood
units suitable for transplantation."
.
Back
