From the Family Research Council comes this brief commentary on the Michael J. Fox "World Series pitch" for a Missouri cloning bill...
In pursuit of cures, scientists have continued to press for the fastest routes--ignoring every ethical caution sign in their path. But news from the University of Rochester Medical Center suggests that researchers are now running into lethal roadblocks. Steven Goldman, a neurology professor at the Center, found that using human embryonic stem cells in the brains of Parkinson's patients may cause deadly tumors.
In the journal Nature Medicine, he wrote that his team injected human stem cells into rat brains to cure symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. While the cells helped to stabilize the disorder, they also caused growths that ultimately killed the rats.
In Dr. Goldman's words, "The behavioral data validate the utility of the approach. But it also raises a cautionary flag and says we are not ready for prime time yet."
How ironic, then, that Parkinson's spokesman Michael J. Fox appeared before millions during a World Series TV break talking about the Missouri cloning initiative. He was featured on an ad about the state's cloning bill saying, "Senator Talent opposes the expansion of stem cell research. He wants to criminalize science that gives us a chance..." But the issue in Missouri is about human cloning, not stem cell research. The only accurate thing Fox said is that what Missouri does, matters to millions of Americans.
Voters who believe in real cures should follow a compassionate course that helps the sick and protects the unborn.
