Michael J. Fox, the actor and prominent advocate for stem cell research, recently filmed an ad for Claire McCaskill, the Democratic Senate candidate. It’s a simple, straightforward ad criticizing incumbent Senator Jim Talent for his refusal to fund scientific research that could lead to cures for millions of people, including Fox (he has Parkinson’s Disease). Predictably, the right-wing blogosphere is viciously attacking Fox for lending his support to McKasskil, and many of their slings and arrows are directed at Fox’s disability. Here are a few sample comments from the conservative FreeRepublic site:
Fox could care less about anybody else in his desparate [sic] effort to
save his own bacon. If anybody has seen the South Park episode about
Christoper Reeves eating fetuses to regain his ability to walk, that
pretty much sums it up.
Would it be in poor form if I wished him to choke on his drool?
I’m overwhelmed by the compassion and empathy evident in these and other enlightened remarks. But the sad fact is that even if the Democrats assume majorities in the House and/or Senate, they will still not have veto-proof majorities to pass stem cell legislation. The best that can be hoped for is that states and the private sector fill the funding gap until we have an administration that is not beholden to reactionary, hypocritical moralists.
