Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 5:51 am Post subject: Actor Fox sparks debate, support for stem cells
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Actor Michael J. Fox on Thursday defended political ads he filmed for candidates who support stem cell research ahead of tight congressional elections, saying he did not want to be pitied because he suffers from Parkinson's disease.
Stark campaign ads in which Fox's body jerked uncontrollably were criticised by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who accused Fox of acting or deliberately not taking his medication.
"If bringing the message means the messenger gets roughed up a bit, I'm happy to be that guy" Michael J. Fox
Fox responded to Limbaugh in an interview with CBS, saying: "He used the word victim and on another occasion used the word pitiable. Understand that nobody in this position wants pity.
"We don't want pity. I could give a damn about Rush Limbaugh's pity or anyone else's pity. I'm not a victim," said Fox, who twitched and rocked throughout the interview.
The 45-year-old actor, best known for his roles in "Back to the Future" films and "Family Ties" sitcom, dismissed the claim that he exaggerated his symptoms.
"The notion that you could calculate for effect ... People out there with Parkinson's are going, would that we could."
Fox, who was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 1991, said the tremors could result from a lack of, or too much of, the medication many Parkinson's sufferers take to allow them greater mobility.
In the run-up to the November 7 elections, Fox taped ads for Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, as well as Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, all of whom back stem cell research. Fox is appearing across the country with other candidates.
The races are among the most closely watched in next month's election as Democrats try to take the congressional majority from Republicans. President George W. Bush has limited federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells and issued his first-ever veto against legislation to expand it.
Fox told CBS he hoped that the ads would get the nation talking about stem cells prior to election day, "and we are, and I'm completely gratified."
"If bringing the message means the messenger gets roughed up a bit, I'm happy to be that guy," Fox said.
A poll released late on Wednesday showed that U.S. voters' support for stem cell research jumped 5 percentage points after they viewed Fox's television ads.
The national poll by HCD Research and Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion surveyed 955 people on Tuesday and Wednesday and found support for stem cell research at 83 percent after viewing the ad, up from 78 percent previously.
Missouri voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to protect embryonic stem-cell research and treatments from legislative restrictions, as long as they are permitted under federal law.
Opponents of the measure include the Roman Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups who say it immorally encourages human cloning as well as the unnecessary destruction of life.
I've always loathed Limbaugh, and after hearing him saying what he did about Michael J. Fox on CNN I knew why. He's a disgusting excuse of a human, and saying Fox would play up his disease for the cause is just insanity.
I've always thought he was a class act and I'm 100% behind him in this, but as long as Bush is president there's not a chance in hell of stem cell research ever being approved.
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:14 am Post subject: Re: Actor Fox sparks debate, support for stem cells
IRiSHMaFIA wrote:
I've always loathed Limbaugh, and after hearing him saying what he did about Michael J. Fox on CNN I knew why. He's a disgusting excuse of a human, and saying Fox would play up his disease for the cause is just insanity.
I've always thought he was a class act and I'm 100% behind him in this, but as long as Bush is president there's not a chance in hell of stem cell research ever being approved.
Rush Limbaugh is an insensitive pig. Period. End of.
So Michael J. Fox showed grace when responding to Rushie, but I won't: Wonder what ol' Rushie would say if prescription painkillers were banned, that wanker.
I read somewhere about a treatment for Parkinson's that meant putting a metal bar between to sections of the brain, with remarkable results. It must be a nightmare for the sufferers to be twitching involuntarily all the time, so anything that can be done to help has to be a good thing. What about taking all the aborted foetuses and using that material? Or would that be too sensible?
Maybe in Scotland that is an option but here in the good ole USofA - them's fightin' words! You'd have liberal right wing women killin' babies for cures! (I tried to channel Dubya on that one ... can you tell?)
Limbaugh is a wanker! Where's the outcry over this like there was over Affleck's drunken CP imitation?
On this page you can see the (Protestant) Church of Scotland's official stance on it... and their conditions seem pretty reasonable to me.
* that embryo stem cell research might be permitted up to 14 days, using surplus IVF of PGD embryos, but only for a very good reason.
* opposing the creation of IVF or cloned embryos for research, except under exceptional circumstances,
* opposing animal-human hybrid and parthenogenetic embryos
* urging the Government not to relax the present regulations governing embryo research in forthcoming legislation.
* urging the scientific community to do better peer reviewing and not to overclaim the potential of different approaches and to communicate better with the public.
Maybe in Scotland that is an option but here in the good ole USofA - them's fightin' words! You'd have liberal right wing women killin' babies for cures! (I tried to channel Dubya on that one ... can you tell?)
Limbaugh is a wanker! Where's the outcry over this like there was over Affleck's drunken CP imitation?
There basically is an outcry, hence the numerous news paper articles and really bad press Limbaugh is getting.
The 2 situations were entirely different though, whereas Affleck probably needed drink to act like an ejit and it comes natural for Limbaugh.
I am all for stem cell research----- the potential for it to do so much good is amazing. Of course it would have to be done with some very strict regulations to ensure people weren't having babies just for this kind of thing.
I don't know how many people have spent time with anyone who has Parkinson's or any other chronic diseases for that matter, but it HUGELY impacts their lives. Most of these people choose to live their lives in positive way, and don't play the victim role.
My husband lives with diabetes and all it's restrictions on a daily basis. And while it's become a lifestyle that he has no choice but to cope with, it could also be potentially helped with stem cell transplants.
IMHO this all comes down to drug company monopoly. I truly believe that they're the big money behind all of these negative campaigns against stem cell research. If we were to cure conditions that are currently treated and controlled with medications, they lose big bucks.
IMHO this all comes down to drug company monopoly. I truly believe that they're the big money behind all of these negative campaigns against stem cell research. If we were to cure conditions that are currently treated and controlled with medications, they lose big bucks.
That makes a good bit of sense eefan, and it wouldn't surprise me at all.
On this page you can see the (Protestant) Church of Scotland's official stance on it... and their conditions seem pretty reasonable to me.
* that embryo stem cell research might be permitted up to 14 days, using surplus IVF of PGD embryos, but only for a very good reason.
* opposing the creation of IVF or cloned embryos for research, except under exceptional circumstances,
* opposing animal-human hybrid and parthenogenetic embryos
* urging the Government not to relax the present regulations governing embryo research in forthcoming legislation.
* urging the scientific community to do better peer reviewing and not to overclaim the potential of different approaches and to communicate better with the public.
Thanks for the link, Face. Those seem like reasonable conditions to me as well. I think that sooner or later, this is going to become a voting issue for a lot of people.
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