By Bonnie Rogoff
web posted October 30, 2006
Senator Jim Talent should easily be re-elected in Missouri. He’s a young pro-life conservative and a rising star in the GOP. Yet, all current polls indicate a very close race, with Senator Talent leading Claire McCaskill by 3 percentage points. The election will now hinge upon one shameful, misleading commercial ad about embryonic stem cell research.
The image of actor Michael J. Fox exhibiting the extreme symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease has been commented on by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The media has focused attention entirely on Rush’s statements (which are being misconstrued) with no attention given to Mr. Fox, whose comments about stem cell research and Senator Jim Talent are false.
Thanks to the mainstream media and their shameful biased promotion of embryonic stem cell research, the American public is unaware that the benefits of adult stem cells far outweigh embryonic stem cells. Important organizations and hundreds of articles detail the advantages of adult stem cell research. Do No Harm and Missourians Against Human Cloning are two examples. In human clinical trials and animal research, Parkinson’s Disease, spinal cord injuries, heart disease and diabetes have been treated with adult stem cells with impressive results.
Embryonic stem cell research is legal. The issue is federal funding for the research. If Amendment 2 is passed in Missouri, cloning and human egg trafficking will become a Constitutional right. Michael J. Fox mentions nothing about this in the ad.
 In this handout photo provided by CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, anchor and Managing Editor Katie Couric interviews Michael J. Fox about his ads for stem cell research, broadcast last Thursday in New York |
Nobody is arguing that Parkinson’s Disease is a terribly debilitating and degenerative condition or that Mr. Fox is not sincere about wanting to find a cure for the disease. Nobody can watch Mr. Fox, whether on the TV show Boston Legal or in this political ad, and not be moved and dismayed that he was stricken with Parkinson’s at such a young age. However, it would be naïve and irresponsible for anyone to believe that Michael J. Fox is aligned with the Democrat Party on only one issue. Critics of the ads say the actor is “misguided” and being “exploited.” I disagree. He wants Republicans to lose on November 7 for the same reasons all liberals want them to lose and chooses to use his illness as a means to that end. It is wrong and cruel for the makers of this ad to distort the facts about the failures of embryonic stem cell research and provide false hope to disabled people. It becomes everyone’s responsibility to criticize a national spokesman, no matter how famous or popular, who becomes a willing participant in the distortion. Michael J. Fox could draw comparisons between adult and embryonic stem cell research. He does not. Why not?
Mr. Fox directs his message to potential Missouri voters, informing them that Senator Talent opposes stem cell research and wants to criminalize the science behind it. He states that Claire McCaskill “shares my hope for cures,” implying that Senator Talent does not. The ad text does not mention “embryonic” or “adult” but groups everything under the generic term “stem cell research.” Viewers remain uninformed about the two separate but not equal types of stem cells. The ad does not reveal that adult stem cells succeed while embryonic stem cells fail, or that umbilical cord blood and bone marrow provide the best source of stem cells. Missourians are not told Amendment 2 would legalize human cloning. Two images prevail: A man visibly suffering the ravages of Parkinson’s, and a mental image of a Senator who wants all stem cell research banned and doesn’t care about curing diseases. This is what the Democrat Party and the mainstream media wants voters to remember. The National Democrat Party leaders who back this ad are devoid of conscience and issues. Michael J. Fox did not write the script, but nevertheless supports the Democrat Party’s objective to promote cloning and abortion, of which embryonic stem cell research is an integral part.
Ridding the Senate of Republicans is not the real poison behind the ad. It masks a future that includes unethical experimentation with embryos. The intent of the ad is to convince Americans that only one type of stem cell research exists. Ultimately, cures for degenerative diseases will be impaired because embryonic research will be funded at the expense of other research. Imagine throwing federal money into inferior science involving the destruction of embryos and cloning, rather than more effective research utilizing bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. It is imperative for all conservatives to speak out and expose the lies behind this ad. Senator Talent is not the only target; the ad runs in several states. This is not the time for voters to be duped about the politics behind the cure. If you live in Missouri, vote no on Amendment 2. If you don’t, pray it does not pass.
Copyright 2006 by Bonnie Rogoff. All rights reserved.
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