Let the celebrity stem-cell wars begin! If you don't live in Missouri or spend a lot of time surfing around Internet entertainment sites, you may have missed the battle brewing over celeb-backed ads for and against embryonic stem-cell research. First, actor and Parkinson's disease sufferer Michael J. Fox
cut a spot urging Missouri voters to support Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill, who in turn supports a state amendment that would protect embryonic stem-cell research. Then conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh
accused Fox of upping the emotional appeal of his ad by either acting to make his symptoms seem worse or going off his medication. Next came word of
another ad, this one against the stem-cell amendment, headlined by actor Jim Caviezel, perhaps best-known for playing the title character in
The Passion of the Christ, and former
Everybody Loves Raymond costar Patricia Heaton. The latter ad, which also features a number of professional athletes, is set to run tonight during the World Series, but you can see it and Fox's in a
post on the blog TV Squad. Before the next wave of celebrity opinionating hits the airwaves, it's worth asking, since children with special needs may be the beneficiaries of stem-cell cures: Where do you stand on this particularly controversial aspect of stem-cell research? Pick an answer from the poll at right, and argue your case in the comments.
Comments
I’m wondering why there is so little talk about stem cells harvested from umbilical cords. From my reading, this is supposed to just about as effective — and there would be no controversy because no life or potential life is destroyed. I’m excited about the idea and hope that people will get moving on the unbilical cord stem cell story.
It really makes you wonder why proponents of stem-cell aren’t emphasizing this more!