Posted on 06/09/2004 6:27:12 PM PDT by Not gonna take it anymore
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Laura Bush, whose father died from Alzheimer's, said on Wednesday she admired Nancy Reagan's devotion to former President Ronald Reagan until his death but could not back her call for relaxation of stem cell research restrictions.
Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, died on Saturday at 93 of pneumonia after a long battle with the brain-wasting disease. His wife, Nancy, and children were at his bedside.
Mrs. Bush, whose father died in 1997, said she had great respect for the former first lady and that she was an excellent role model for families struggling to cope with the illness.
"I know how very difficult it is for the patient, obviously, but also for the caregiver. It requires unbelievable strength of character to take care of the person you love as you see them slip away like that -- 'the long goodbye' they call Alzheimer's," the first lady told the CBS "Early Show" from Sea Island, Georgia, where leaders of the Group of Eight countries are meeting.
But Mrs. Bush said she did not endorse Nancy Reagan's call, already rebuffed by the White House, to allow greater stem cell research to proceed in the hope it would provide some answers to the disease or possibly a cure.
The Bush administration has placed restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and opposes using stem cells from most embryos, a stand Mrs. Bush said she supported.
"There are stem cells to do research on and ... we have to be really careful between what we want to do for science and what we should do ethically," the first lady said. "Stem cell ... is certainly one of those issues that we need to treat very carefully."
Pressed on whether she was prepared to endorse Mrs. Reagan's impassioned call for restrictions to be lifted, she replied, "No."
More than 200 members of the U.S. Senate and House (of Representatives have also urged Bush to allow researchers to use embryonic stem cells to eventually provide brain cell transplants to Alzheimer's patients. They also hope to use embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, diabetes and a range of other illnesses.
Reagan had a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's, which affects the brain, causing memory loss, confusion, mood changes, hallucinations, speech problems and incontinence.
I heard a story about a man with Alzheimer's who was given an injection in his brain with embryonic stem cells. Bone, teeth and hair started to grow in his brain and he died an excruciating death.
I agree with both points.
I'll say a prayer for your father.
You missed the who point and made it personal. Laura doesn't want to see babies killed for research.
I agree, hon. She's an old woman who is grasping at straws.
Adult stem cell research doesn't require death of the donor.
I feel her pain (hate that phrase!) but know where she is coming from. If I could have helped my Granny stop the strokes, I may have signed on to that thinking, but I know better.
Prayers for your Dad, Cy.
I imagine Dr. Mengele felt the same way, those annoying religious puritans didn't want him experimenting on Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, etc.
And as for the Holy Father and Gallileo, it didn't involve experimenting on human embryos--unborn children--did it?
Because there are limits as to what adult stem cells can do, while there is no limit for those recovered from blastocytes. This approach goes for limited instant gratification at the sacrifice of the long-term goal of even greater good. We need to invest in both.
I find it interesing all these "scientific" attacks on pluripotent stem cell research. Researchers are going on Capitol Hill and in the media to talk trash about pluripotent research. I've finally figured out the motivation -- there are a limited number of grant dollars, and unethically trashing the competition that means more for them.
Thank you both! Dad is taking Aricept, and Mom says it's helping with the everyday memory lapses. He's only 68; when they visited last month, he remembered a poem he wrote in elementary school (about his pet chicken), but didn't remember a two-week trip to Missouri in February. At least he remembers good things! I'm glad we moved back East ... I suspect God knew this was coming when there were no jobs in Tulsa!
Even better, with adult multipotent cells you're actually eating yourself! Ick!
Good descriptive phrase.
I've got an even worse situation I read about not too long ago. There are a couple of doctors who did a medical seminar about "harvesting" the eggs of female aborted babies, to implant them in women who want to get pregnant. Seems there's a shortage of donor eggs.
Abortion doctors, including these two, are absolute ghouls. When I read about this latest, I thought of the B**** of Buchenwald.
Good. Needed to be said.
Exactly.
The relevant question is not whether fetuses are human lives, but whether killing innocent human life is acceptable or not.
Those who think it is acceptable are called psychopaths.
I'm glad your dad seems to be improving. It must be awful for her (Mom) to miss the twilight years.
There ain't no jobs in Tulsa! Dad was right.
Galileo never killed an unborn baby, let alone killed one for Nazi science..
Outstanding.
I know it's stressful for Mom to look forward to being a "caretaker," when they've been independent for a number of years. Their retirement community in Florida has facilities for residents who "go dotty," as they say down there, but I hope things will work out so Dad can be near us, if his condition deteriorates quickly. He might have a number of years while he still has pretty good functioning; we'll just have to wait and see.
I wanted to keep pretending it was just ordinary forgetfulness, but Mom wouldn't let me.
I can only presume you had no problem with Dr. Mengele's scientific research.
I can't endorse it either. Harvesting fetal cells for those who are living sits funny with me....
--Francis Schaeffer--Whatever Happened to the Human Race?
I'm with you. As much respect as I have for Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush is right on with this one. God Bless the Bushes. They are our modern Reagans. They have their tough hills to climb and I support them 100%.
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