Actor Fox sparks debate, support for stem cells
Source: Reuters
By Deborah Charles WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Stark campaign ads featuring actor Michael J. Fox's uncontrollable shaking caused by Parkinson's disease sparked debate this week, resulting in a rise in support for the stem cell research he supports. A poll released late on Wednesday showed that U.S. voters' support for stem cell research jumped 5 percentage points after they viewed a television ad in which Fox -- whose body shook with spasms from Parkinson's -- states his support for candidates who favor the research. The national poll by HCD Research and Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion surveyed 955 people on Tuesday and Wednesday with the support for stem cell research at 83 percent after viewing the ad from 78 percent previously. It also said the level of concern regarding a candidate's view on the issue rose to 70 percent after the respondents viewed the ad, up from 57 percent. The 45-year-old Fox, who was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 1991, starred in the blockbuster "Back to the Future" movies, and the TV series "Family Ties." He now spends much of his time on behalf of Parkinson's and supports stem cell research as a way to help find a cure. In the leadup to the Nov. 7 elections, Fox taped ads for Democratic Senate candidates including Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Benjamin Cardin in Maryland, who back stem cell research. Fox was appearing across the country with other candidates, including Democratic Senate candidate James Webb next week in Virginia. The races are among the most closely watched in next month's election as Democrats try to take the congressional majority from Republicans. "They say all politics is local, but it's not always the case," Fox says in the ad for McCaskill, his shoulders jerking and his body swaying uncontrollably. "What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me." Polls show Missouri voters backing 2 to 1 what would be the first state constitutional amendment to protect embryonic stem-cell research and treatments from legislative restrictions, as long as they are permitted under federal law. OPPONENTS Opponents of the measure include the Roman Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups who say it immorally encourages human cloning as well as the unnecessary destruction of life. After the ads began airing, nationally syndicated conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Fox was allowing his illness to be exploited and accused him of acting in the ad or not taking his medication in order to shake so much. "All I'm saying is I've never seen him the way he appears in this commercial for Claire McCaskill," Limbaugh said on his syndicated radio show. "I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act." Limbaugh later issued a qualified apology and said Fox was raising false hopes by implying that a vote for McCaskill could lead to a cure for Parkinson's. The progressive, incurable disease affects 1 percent of Americans over the age of 65 and is marked by the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine, which is key to movement. The talk show host's comments sparked criticism from some listeners and lawmakers. "Ridiculing Mr. Fox's symptoms does not bring us any closer to curing Parkinson's disease, but supporting stem cell research would," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat and co-founder of the Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's disease. President George W. Bush has limited federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells and issued his first-ever veto against legislation to expand it.
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