Don't Exploit Reagan's Legacy
Thursday, July 01, 2004
It was a Saturday afternoon just like any other on June 5th in San Antonio. Having just completed some errands, I was driving north on Highway 281 passing the Bitters Exit, when I got a call on the cell from my good friend Louis Bratton. He was the first to break the bad news to me.
"Adam, have you heard? President Reagan just died,"
he said.
"What? When?" I responded with confusion in my voice.
"Turn on the radio. It's on the news," Louis replied.
Former President Ronald Reagan, at the age of 93, went home to be with the Lord at 1:09 p.m. Pacific time in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles. His devoted wife of 52 years, Nancy, and their two children Ron and Patti were there when he drew his last breath.
That week on my talk show I honored the Gipper's legacy, interviewing Senator John Cornyn, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Lt. Col. Oliver North, G. Gordon Liddy, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Frank Gaffney among others. In addition to clips of The Great Communicator's most famous speeches, I featured the audio of the unedited, moving eulogies by Lady Margaret Thatcher, President George W. Bush and his father from the National Cathedral.
KSLR listeners e-mailed and called in their tearful, heart-felt favorite memories of the man whose unfailing optimism lifted America's spirit, whose unwavering tenaciousness won the Cold War and whose unapologetic belief in the right of taxpayers to keep more of their money restored the economy.
Sadly though, a number of unethical scientists are exploiting Reagan's dazzling legacy and using his grief-stricken wife to advance their hope of destroying babies in the name of "progress" falsely claim that if the Bush Administration would simply allow them to kill unborn babies at the embryonic stage, then they could find a cure for the cruel neurological disorder known as Alzheimer's which stole the memory and mental abilities of our beloved 40th president -- eventually leading to his dementia. That's patently false!
And now, The San Antonio Express-News, to their shame, actually said the child at the embryonic stage is "potential life."
I don't think so.
It's time for them to revisit Biology 101. When Mr. Sperm meets Mrs. Egg, a new human being has been created. It's called conception. Even the not-quite-right-wing American Medical Association Encyclopedia states that an embryo is a developing baby from conception which receives nutrition and shelter by implanting in the womb. Clearly then, implantation does not create life. Rather, it sustains life.
My thesis is simple. Embryonic stem cell research is a terribly misguided and ethically problematic scientific experiment for two reasons.
First, contrary to their erroneous claims, victims of Alzheimer's are the least likely to benefit, Wesley Smith, a pro-life bioethicist, points out in The Weekly Standard. Researchers have apparently known for some time that embryonic stem cells will not be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's, because as two researchers told a Senate subcommittee in May, it is a "whole brain disease," rather than a cellular disorder (such as Parkinson's).
This has generally been kept out of the news. But now, Washington Post correspondent Rick Weiss, has blown the lid off of the scam, reporting that while useful abstract information might be gleaned about Alzheimer's through embryonic stem cell research, "stem cell experts confess . . . that of all the diseases that may be someday cured by embryonic stem cell treatments, — Alzheimer's is among the least likely to benefit."
The words of these scientific scammers are shockingly revealing.
"People need a fairy tale," Ronald McKay, a stem cell researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told Weiss, explaining why scientists have allowed society to believe wrongly that stem cells are likely to effectively treat Alzheimer's disease.
Ronald Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's and America's natural empathy for him and his family is the fairy tale these con artists are exploiting.
Second, even in the case of those people suffering with Parkinson's, diabetes or heart disease -- which are true cellular disorders -- there is absolutely no need to kill babies at the embryonic stage in order to harvest their stem cells. Instead, stem cells can be harvested from the umbilical-cord blood of newborns or even full grown adults with no harm done to the donor.
Parenthetically, the reason why stem cells are the key is that every tissue in the body -- ranging from muscles to the heart and the brain -- originates from stem cells. Therefore, as Wendy Wright, Senior Policy Director for Concerned Women of America explains, "Since many diseases result when tissues die or function improperly, scientists believe healthy stem cells can be used to replace the disabled tissue."
However, contrary to the impression that liberals like Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) have left on the public, and, according to Wright, "embryonic stem cells are unstable and may not become the kinds of tissue that scientists expect. No humans have been treated or even experimented upon with embryonic stem cells. While adult stem-cell treatment is successful, embryonic stem-cell treatment is merely a hope."
No wonder Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family is furious that 58 members of the U.S. Senate and 204 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed letters insisting that President Bush permit federal funding for research on living embryonic stem cells. Their demand, if implemented, would result in the deaths of countless human embryonic lives.
Let's not forget that an essential component of Ronald Reagan's legacy was his unashamed commitment to the sanctity of human life. On January 14, 1988, he declared the "unalienable personhood of every American from the moment of conception until natural death."
Without a doubt, President Reagan would not want us to "win one for the Gipper" at the expense of another precious human being. Especially since it is demonstrably unnecessary.
TAKE A STAND ACTION STEPS:
1. Send a letter to the editor for publication to The San Antonio Express-News objecting to their callous endorsement of embryonic stem cell research. Unbelievably, the always pro-abortion editorial board dares to categorize support for embryonic stem cell research as the "true pro-life position." That's false. Limit your letter to 200 words and include your name, address and daytime phone number for verifications purposes. E-mail: letters@express-news.net or mail it to Letters, Express-News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297.
2. Thank President George W. Bush for standing strong against embryonic stem cell research by sending an e-mail to: president@whitehouse.gov or write him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20500.
3. Call Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison at (202) 224-5922 and Senator John Cornyn at (202) 224-2934 and ask them to oppose embryonic stem cell research.
4. Learn more about the embryonic stem cell debate at Focus on the Family's website: www.citizenlink.org and type "embryonic stem cell research" in the search engine.
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