Michael J. Fox less optimistic about embryonic stem-cells

Michael J. Fox, the actor who has been one of the chief celebrity spokesmen on behalf of embryonic stem-cell treatment, is now admitting that the morally repugnant research has not provided the cure that he and others had hope for such illnesses as his Parkinson’s disease. LifeNews.com recalled that Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the early 1990s, “was one of the leading campaigners for embryonic stem cell research. He aggressively pushed to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem-cell research, opposed pro-life limits on it, and even attended a State of the Union address by President George W. Bush in order to flaunt his position.” But with years of such research offering no promising results, Fox is now among the once-hopeful proponents conceding that embryonic stem-cell lines will most likely not yield the cures once confidently promised by researchers looking for tax funding.

Fox told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that there have been “problems along the way” with the research into a cure for Parkinson’s using embryonic stem cells, adding that other drug therapies show more promise of helping stave off the symptoms. Fox, however, was unwilling to call the unfruitful stem-cell research a failure. “Stem cells are an avenue of research that we’ve pursued and continue to pursue, but it’s part of a broad portfolio of things that we look at,” he told Sawyer. “There have been some issues with stem cells, some problems along the way.”

He argued that “it’s not so much that [stem-cell research has] diminished in its prospects for breakthroughs as much as it’s the other avenues of research have grown and multiplied and become as much or more promising. So, an answer may come from stem cell research, but it’s more than likely to come from another area.”

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Evermyrtle

WE can never expect to won when we take GOD'S laws into our own hands and try to change it for any reason. This is a perfect of mankind trying to do this. It is something we had no business whatsoever in meddling in.
Linda F.

I'm not surprised that embryonic stem cell research isn't providing the results Fox and others have hoped for. People have been saying that for years! It's time for them to finally give up on this immoral research and look into research that not only works, but also does not result in the destruction of human embryos.
Evermyrtle

Look at the our tax dollars that have been poured into this useless, anti-GOD, born to loose, endeavor
SusieQue

Just because it's Michael J. Fox and he's from Hollywood, why is his opinion any more important that anyone else? There is a song with the following verse, "When He hands out the halos, one size fits all. When you get your crown of Glory, it won't be big or small………………………"
Violet

Right from the get-go mature T-cells have had a better track record. However, now that they are starting to use one's own T-cells to generate new organs one of those multiple "lettered" agencies of the federal government have labeled your body as a chemical that can't be used for repair of your own body. Yep, if the drug companies and the feds can't make money on you then you aren't going to be able to get the treatment. Same way with anything new and non-toxic that comes out to treat or repair the human body. If it's natural and they can't get a patent on it they then they make sure the government bans it.
lambsev11

I have compassion for Mr. Fox. If I had Parkinson's or another disease like it and something showed some promise to cure it, I too would go out of my way to help it forward. The good news is that stem cells are available from other sources not only embryonic! And they are showing more promise of success than the embryonic cells do!
Eileen

When people are ill with dieases that there are no cures for the become desperate and want to try anything and everything. Mary Tyler moore also was interested in stem cells as a cure for her diabetes. I feel very sorry for these people but cells from aborted babies is not the answer.
keyboardshark

Actually, adult stem cell are more promising than fetal embryonic cells, and no loss of life results from harvesting adult stem cells. Mr. Fox should go 'back to the future' and focus his attention on adult stem cell research:

"There is considerable controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells research (ESCR) because a living human embryo is killed in the process of harvesting the cells. In contrast, adult stem cells can be harvested without a loss of life, and they are readily available from bone marrow, skin, fat, umbilical cord blood and other sources.

To date, current research on embryonic stem cells has resulted in no promising results. Ironically, a leading pro-ESCR advocate is the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, but ESCR research has failed in fighting this disease.

Past supporters of this controversial research are now speaking out about the false hype surrounding the results. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that doubters are coming out of the woodwork. Paul Billings, who studied stem cells' effects and co-founded a stem cell bank, said that hopes for major new medical treatments based on embryonic stem cells are "very remote". "The problems are so complex that we're not likely to be able to tackle them with the stem cell gambit in the foreseeable future."

Researchers in China met with a disastrous result. Fetal tissue injected into a patient's brain produced temporary improvement, but within two years the patient developed a brain tumor and died. An autopsy revealed that the fetal cells had taken root, but had then metamorphed into other types of human tissue – hair, skin and bone. These grew into the tumor, which killed the patient.

A devastating result occurred at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In some of the patients, the implanted embryonic cells apparently grew too well, churning out so much of a chemical that controls movement that they writhed and jerked uncontrollably. Dr. Paul E. Greene called the uncontrollable movements developed by some patients as "absolutely devastating." He said, "They chew constantly, their fingers go up and down, their writs flex and distend. It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off. No more fetal transplants. We are absolutely and adamantly convinced that this should be considered for research only."

In stark contrast to the failures of embryonic stem cell research, the future looks very promising for treatment with adult stem cells.

The following are examples of research breakthroughs with adult stem cells. Please note that this list is only a sampling."

TO READ MORE: http://www.lifeissues.org/cloningstemcell/bradsar…
great-grandma

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife or his goods or anything that is thy neighbor's. I believe "anything" includes stem cells.