Politics
Wednesday October 25, 2006
Actor Jim Caviezel Battles Michael J. Fox on Embryonic Stem Cell Video Ads
Caviezel states at end of ad, “You know now. Don’t do it. Vote no on (Amendment) 2”
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By Gudrun Schultz
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, October 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel entered the escalating election battle on embryonic stem cell research yesterday. He appears in an ad clip countering campaign ads by Michael J. Fox who is urging voters to support election candidates backing the research.
Fox has thrown himself into the promotion of embryonic stem cell research since Parkinson’s disease forced him to end his successful acting career in 2000. Appearing in 30-second ad clips, the actor reveals the full extent of his increasingly debilitating symptoms, strong tremors shaking his body.
“What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me,” Fox tells voters.
In the one minute response ad Caviezel is joined by celebrities that include Cardinal’s pitcher Jeff Suppan and Patricia Heaton, star of the TV comedy Everybody Loves Raymond and honorary chair for Feminists for Life. After explaining the facts of the issue they in turn state, “Don’t be tricked”, Don’t be deceived”, Don’t be fooled”, with Caviezel ending the ad telling Missouri voters, “You know now. Don’t do it. Vote no on (Amendment) 2”, the ballot initiative that would permit research using human embryos in the state.
The election campaign in Missouri centers on the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative (Amendment 2). While the amendment claims to ban “human cloning,” in fact it would only ban a human clone from being implanted in a woman. Creating a human clone and then killing it for research purposes would be permitted.
Although the amendment appears to ban the buying and selling of human eggs, women who “donated” their eggs would be permitted “reimbursement” by fertility clinics or sperm banks. The ban on buying and selling would not apply to reimbursement for the cost of “the removal, processing, disposal, preservation, quality control, storage, transfer, or donation of human eggs, sperm, or blastocysts, including lost wages of the donor.”
Spokesmen for the biotechnology industry have admitted there is no evidence whatsoever that embryonic stem cells are likely to aid in treating debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Research using adult stem cells, however, has already been shown to be effective in treating multiple diseases and injuries, including paralysis and childhood leukemia. The research contains none of the ethical problems related to the use and destruction of early-stage unborn children in embryonic research.
Fox’s ads have been shown for Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, Senate candidate in Maryland, and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, as well as Missouri. Fox is reportedly planning on appearing at events in New Jersey for Sen. Robert Menendez and in Illinois for Tammy Duckworth, a candidate for Congress.
The Missouri ad in support of Senate candidate Claire McCaskill has been viewed by more than 1 million people on YouTube.com, the AP reported.
Watch video response:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nguJQ_dRPXw
See Michael J. Fox ad pitch for embryonic stem cell research:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WB_PXjTBo
Read Missouri Amendment 2:
http://www.nocloning.org/amendment.pdf
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Missouri Cloning Amendment Deceptively Claims to Ban Cloning
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06101305.html
Success Stories with Adult Stem Cells Coming in Almost Too Fast to Track
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05012007.html
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