Stem Cell Opponents Release Ad In Response To Michael J. Fox Spot
Posted October 25, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They’re all opposed to stem cell research, and they’re all appearing in a minute-long television ad on the subject that will premiere during Game 4 of the World Series.
The spot follows a commercial featuring Canadian-born actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease and is in support of stem cell advancements.
In the anti-research ad about to air, Cards hurler Jeff Suppan talks about Amendment 2, which would provide constitutional protections for embryonic stem cell research in the state of Missouri.
“Amendment 2 claims it bans human cloning, but in the 2,000 words you don’t read, it makes cloning a constitutional right,” Suppan says. “Don’t be deceived.”
Swaying uncontrollably due to the effects of his disease, Fox urges Missouri voters to support Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill. Though it’s not an ad about stem cell research per se, it’s linked to the issue because McCaskill’s Republican opponent, Sen. Jim Talent, opposes the measure.
“They say all politics is local, but it’s not always the case,” Fox says in the ad that began airing during Game 1 of the World Series. “What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans – Americans like me.”
(Fox was born in Canada, but has since become a U.S. citizen.)
The Fox ad caused a controversy however, with critics calling it exploitive. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh went as far as to say Fox was “either off his medication or acting” in it – a comment that he later apologized for.
New York neurosurgeon Dr. John Boockvar called the claim ludicrous and said Parkinson’s sufferers go through times when their movements aren’t as pronounced.
“If there is one single disease that has the highest potential for benefit from stem cell research,” he said Tuesday, “it’s Parkinson’s.”
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive nervous system disorder that leaves patients without the ability to control their movements.
Fox has long supported political candidates that support stem cell research, including 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.
The actor is best known for his roles on TV shows Family Ties and Spin City as well as the Back to the Future films. After being diagnosed in 1991 and announcing his condition publicly in 1998, he quit full-time acting and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The organization has raised millions of dollars over the years.
For a primer on stem cells, click here.