May 10, 2004
KING CANUTE AND THE TIDE
Hollywood Pushing for Stem Cell Research
(New York Times, 10/05/04)
As President Bush resists mounting pressure to loosen the restrictions he placed on human embryonic stem-cell research, Hollywood's supporting role in the debate this election year is growing.
Celebrities including Nancy Reagan, Dustin Hoffman, Michael J. Fox and Larry King raised $2 million for stem-cell research Saturday night at a gala for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The money is part of nearly $20 million that the foundation is donating to advance stem-cell research.[...]
Saturday's dinner featured a rare public appearance by former first lady Reagan, who renewed her call for an expansion of the research. Former President Ronald Reagan suffers from Alzheimer's disease and his wife believes stem cells might someday provide a cure.
``Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him,'' she said. ``Because of this I'm determined to do whatever I can to save other families from this pain.''
A growing number of federal lawmakers -- including several staunch anti-abortion Republicans and party stalwarts like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is also a heart surgeon -- also are lobbying Bush to reconsider his policy.
Last month, 206 members of Congress, including several conservative Republicans, sent Bush a letter calling on him to reconsider his stem-cell policy.
The Bush administration said it has no plans to change its policy.
It has become almost impossible to believe that modern society has the political capacity to reject any new technology, no matter how morally offensive or chilling, if somebody somewhere says it could save a life, which of course they always do.
Posted by Peter Burnet at May 10, 2004 3:16 PMAnybody who forms an opinion based upon what Hollywood celebrities say is an idiot.
On the other hand, your position that we already have enough or too much in the way of remedies and therefore should accept with equanimity the shutdown of the US pharmaceutical business is just as extreme, in the opposite direction.
And when people claim that X will save lives, they are very often correct.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at May 10, 2004 5:37 PMHarry:
They are almost always correct. That's why when people say X will also do this or that that isn't so benign, everyone has stopped listening.
Posted by: Peter B at May 10, 2004 6:03 PMThe truly strange thing about stem-cell research is that those who work on adult and embryonic stem cells attack each other so viciously, even in scientific journals. For some reason it's not enough to say "Our method is great and shows wonderful potential, their method is great and shows wonderful potential," they both say things more like "our method is great and shows wonderful potential, their method doesn't work and they're frauds."
Posted by: brian at May 10, 2004 6:08 PMbrian --
Both groups are fighting over the ssme pot of money.
Posted by: Uncle Bill at May 11, 2004 8:21 AMUncle Bill:
That happens all the time in science, but never with such open viciousness. It's politics, obviously. It really seems like supporters (including the scientists!) of embryonic stem-cell research view supporters of adult stem-cell research as arch-conservative theocrats who probably believe don't believe in evolution, either.
Posted by: brian at May 11, 2004 2:39 PMwhat I said before
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at May 12, 2004 1:17 AM