MJF is and has been for some time a national spokesman for Parkinson's research. He has his own foundation for research. He speaks on the subject frequently. Do you honestly think he has been kept from learning that ESCs have yielded no good results and some very bad results? Do you think he has been kept in the dark about the 72 successes from ASC research? Do you think he lacks the motivation or the resources to find these things out. All I had to do was skim through a page or two of FR posts to learn it. Or listen to an hour of Rush Limbaugh this week. Or I could Google it up in a few microseconds. Parkinson's doesn't effect intelligence AFAIK.
What I do know is that despite all the information he has about his disease, and despite the fact that Parkinson's does not affect intellingence, that it doesn't change the fact that he is still being destroyed by his illness. It is true that there is alot of information available about Parkinson's disease, but it is also true that there is still no cure in sight. Until you are in a position where your life is being systematically destroyed more and more every day by an illness that will not relent until you are dead, you are not in a position to determine what is going on inside of his head.
You can be honest and tell him that adult stem cell research has much more potential but that there is no guarantee of it producing a cure, or you can lie to him and tell him that embryonic stem cell research will guarantee a cure. Now, what do you think someone in his position is going to pin his hopes, the non guarantee (truth) or the guarantee (lie)?