John Kerry will overturn the ban on federal funding of research on new stem cell lines

Kicking off a week focused on his plan to make the American economy stronger at home through scientific discovery, technology and innovation, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry today pledged to lift up families and create new jobs by once again making America the world leader in science.

While the Bush administration has politicized science, Kerry will put America back on the path of scientific excellence with a commitment to scientific research based on fact – not ideology.

Kerry was also endorsed in a letter Monday by 48 Nobel Prize winning scientists. The scientists issued a letter calling Kerry a “clear choice for America’s next President” who will “restore science to its appropriate place in government and bring it back into the White House.”

With American families struggling in an economy that has failed to lift them up, scientific discovery has the potential to make us stronger at home by lowering health care costs, developing new technologies that will create good paying jobs and curing disease. However, to realize this potential and strengthen our country, Kerry stressed today that we need a President committed to science and encouraging innovation.

“The American people deserve a President who understands that when America invests in science and technology and higher education, we can build a new and stronger economy for the 21st century,” Kerry said.

For three years, the Bush administration has squandered America’s leadership in the world, putting politics before science and doing nothing to create jobs while our workers fall further behind. The administration has proposed cuts for scientific research and grossly distorted and politicized science on issues from mercury pollution to stem cell research. This approach not only limits the research that our scientists are doing today, it undermines important discoveries of tomorrow and threatens America’s critical edge in innovation.

Kerry’s plan will reverse this course by restoring America’s scientific leadership, helping find new cures, cutting health care costs and developing new technologies that will create good jobs.

The Kerry plan begins by embracing America’s tradition of looking forward. It is important to keep America’s edge on science and technology to assure America is economically competitive. Kerry will invest in our nation’s scientific research with the aim of making new discoveries to help cure diseases and keep America’s economy on the cutting edge.

“We need a president who will once again embrace our tradition of looking toward the future and new discoveries with hope based on scientific facts, not fear,” Kerry said.

Second, Kerry will embrace empirical science based on facts, not ideology. He will turn to our nation’s scientific leaders and make decisions based on expert advice.

As president, Kerry will also overturn the ban on federal funding of research on new stem cell lines, and he will allow doctors and scientists to explore their full potential with the appropriate ethical oversight.

“If we pursue the limitless potential of our science – and trust that we can use it wisely – we will save millions of lives and earn the gratitude of future generations,” Kerry said. “We have the potential to do so much good while at the same time meeting some very practical challenges—lowering health care costs and creating new jobs. It’s about investing in the future of our country. I won’t let ideology and fear stand in our way.”

In the coming days, Kerry will continue to lay out his plan to make us stronger at home through science, technology and innovation, including investing in new technologies and preparing our workforce for the jobs of the future.