October 04, 2004
I Played a Republican on TV
I Played a Republican on TV
Terry linked to a picture of Michael J. Fox and John Kerry, which reminds me of something I heard on NPR this morning. I'm quoting from memory, but Morning Edition's quick blurb about the town hall meeting included something along these lines, "Fox, who played a young Reagan Republican in the 1980s, now has Parkinson's Disease and supports stem cell research."
Family Ties was a fun show to watch, but I don't recall ever thinking that just because Alex P. Keaton was a Republican that Michael J. Fox was -- any more than I thought he really travelled back in time when the flux capacitor in his car hit 1.21 gigawatts. Apparently playing a Republican gives him credentials though, from which he has "grown" now that he's older, wiser and sick. I wish Fox the best of luck in his fight against Parkinson's, although I don't support his support of stem cell research, but I think NPR could have written their blurb better.
"...NPR could have written their blurb better."
Asking an awful lot out of them, aren't you?
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at October 4, 2004 04:23 PMI do have such high standards, don't I? Sigh...
Posted by: Jordana at October 4, 2004 04:28 PMI wish Fox the best in his fight against Parkinson's, although I don't support his support of stem cell research.,
With all due respect, it's difficult to do both at once with any sincerity.
Some recommended reading:
Small Molecules that Induce Cardiomyogenesis in Embryonic Stem Cells
Wu, X.; Ding, S.; Ding, Q.; Gray, N. S.; Schultz, P. G.;
J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Communication); 2004; 126(6); 1590-1591.
Dopamine neurons derived from embryonic stem cells function in an animal model of Parkinson's disease Jong-Hoon Kim, Jonathan M Auerbach, Jose A Rodriguez-Gomez, Ivan Velasco, et al. Nature. London: Jul 4, 2002.Vol.418, Iss. 6893; pg. 50
Embryonic stem cells develop into functional dopaminergic neurons after transplantation in a Parkinson rat model. Lars M Bjorklund, Rosario Sanchez-Pernaute, Sangmi Chung, Therese Andersson, et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Washington: Feb 19, 2002.Vol.99, Iss. 4; pg. 2344
Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury in the Rat and Mouse
M.A. Lane 1 , K. Sharp 2 , K.M. Dziegielewska 1 , O. Steward 2 and N.R. Saunders 3
1 Pathology, and 3 Anatomy & Physiology, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-29, Hobart. Reeve-Irvine Research Center, University of California Irvine, CA, 92697-4292
Incidetally, embryonic stem cells are already an integral part of the in vitro fertilization process, used to help infertile couples conceive.
There is some research in adult stem cells and their possibilities. But one way or another, using a method that requires killing a human life, no matter how small and defenseless that life was, is never going to be something I support, even if that means a cure is never found for certain diseases.
Posted by: Jordana at October 6, 2004 04:32 PM
Jordana Adams, Chief Pontificator