Michael J Fox

[Schumi]

Watch it, fools.



I applaud this man. He is so courageous just to go on television like he does. He's doing great things to help the PD community. A cure is possible, and hopefully we will see it in our lifetime.

[URY914]

I wonder how the Canadian health care system would be handling his condition?
Is he better off here or there?

[berettafan]

HUGE fan. Back to the Future is my all time favorite movie and it's just icing on the cake that he is such an incredible guy.

I don't care what his political views are, he rocks.

[Porsche_monkey]

Originally Posted by URY914

I wonder how the Canadian health care system would be handling his condition?
Is he better off here or there?

You can not compare the health care of a wealthy person in America to the services available in Canadian. They aren't even close.

[stomachmonkey]

I'm terribly confused by some responses here.

What is Fox's agenda? To cure his debilitating illness?

Fox's current Meds will not cure him. They only mask the symptoms of his disease.

His is a degenerative disease.

It will only get worse, not better.

At some point the meds will likely be completely ineffective.

Why does he not have the right to fight for his own life?

Why is that wrong?

What is wrong with you people?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Why does he not have the right to fight for his own life?

Why do you think someone here said he does not?

There's nothing wrong with using your illness to create awareness for more R&D into a cure. However, Fox has been touted (not just by himself) by others whose agendas go way, way beyond curing his condition. His condition has nothing to do with abortion, but his jumping into the embryonic stem cell debate does.

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I'm terribly confused by some responses here.

What is Fox's agenda? To cure his debilitating illness?

Fox's current Meds will not cure him. They only mask the symptoms of his disease.

His is a degenerative disease.

It will only get worse, not better.

At some point the meds will likely be completely ineffective.

Why does he not have the right to fight for his own life?

Why is that wrong?

What is wrong with you people?

I believe it all comes down to the stem cell research thing.

As someone who suffers from a chronic disease myself, I can relate to Michael J Fox's plight - though to a far lesser degree. As most of you know, I have diabetes, which is a far more manageable disease than what MJF suiffers from. Yet it is still a chronic disease and to be honest, it does limit me to some extent, and will very likely cause some life threatening complications in the long run.

Apparently, stem cell research and politics and religion don't mix. I am a conservative Christian, yet if given the opportunity to be cured of my disease, I will gladly put my religious views aside to gain a better quality of life. Of course I still have morals and am bound by various guidelines, and maybe I need to gain a better understanding of the whole stem cell 'industry.'

Am I being selfish? Is MJF being selfish? Unethical? Immoral? I dunno - that's not for me to decide - but I bet if some of the politicians and religious leaders were to spend a day in MJF's shoes, their views on stem cell research may be a little different.

I don't mean to make this a political or religious thread - for me, it is a PERSONAL thing - not a political one.

-Z-man.

[dhoward]

I don't understand how everyone immediately equates embryonic stem cells with abortion. They're using blastocysts from in vitro fertilization to start the cultures. If I was Fox, I'd do the same thing.
I support embryonic stem cell research. I support all scientific research.
I don't let an old story book tell me what to do.
There.
I PARF'd it up for all of you.

[Rick Lee]

I really have no problem with embryonic stem cell research either. And I doubt Fox's agenda extends beyond finding a cure for his disease. It's just that there are a lot of groups out there who want nothing more than a celebrity spokesperson for their cause, which is not always as it seems. Since embryonic stem cell research has not shown anything close to the promising results adult stem cells have, you have to sort of wonder why some folks are so passionate about the former and not the latter. And if something shows promise for a cure, seem to me the private investment money would beat a path to its door.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by dhoward

I don't understand how everyone immediately equates embryonic stem cells with abortion. They're using blastocysts from in vitro fertilization to start the cultures. If I was Fox, I'd do the same thing.
I support embryonic stem cell research. I support all scientific research.
I don't let an old story book tell me what to do.
There.
I PARF'd it up for all of you.

Jesus was pro-embryonic stem cell research.

[porkee]

Originally Posted by Schumi

Watch it, fools.

I applaud this man. He is so courageous just to go on television like he does. He's doing great things to help the PD community. A cure is possible, and hopefully we will see it in our lifetime.

+1 Shumi. So sad to have witnessed my mother for years slowly deteriorating and finally succumbing to this nightmare disease. It must be a very scary and hopeless feeling for the victims. My deepest sympathies Michael.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Z-man

.....Am I being selfish? Is MJF being selfish? Unethical? Immoral? I dunno - that's not for me to decide - but I bet if some of the politicians and religious leaders were to spend a day in MJF's shoes, their views on stem cell research may be a little different.

I don't mean to make this a political or religious thread - for me, it is a PERSONAL thing - not a political one.....

-Z-man.

I think many peoples moral high ground is inversely proportional to how much skin they've got in the game.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I really have no problem with embryonic stem cell research either. And I doubt Fox's agenda extends beyond finding a cure for his disease. It's just that there are a lot of groups out there who want nothing more than a celebrity spokesperson for their cause, which is not always as it seems. Since embryonic stem cell research has not shown anything close to the promising results adult stem cells have, you have to sort of wonder why some folks are so passionate about the former and not the latter. And if something shows promise for a cure, seem to me the private investment money would beat a path to its door.

Adult stem cell research has a 20 year jump on embryonic research.

It's not a fair comparison.

[badcar]

My whole perspective changed this year when my wife and I went through the IVF process. When I saw the blast placed inside, then weeks later seeing a heartbeat, and next week we get to find out the sex!

Those blobs of cells used to be just a blob of cells, now, for us, they are truely the greatest possible gift.

We have 3 frozen blasts left over. The option to donate to science was considered prior to a succesful implatation. Once we saw a heartbeat, our minds were changed and our only options for us is to give them a chance within our own family, or donate to someone with the same struggles to have children naturally.

[creaturecat]

Where was M. J. Fox, the "big time liberal" during our recent election?
Nowhere to be seen!
Some political agenda.

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

adult stem cell research has a 20 year jump on embryonic research.

It's not a fair comparison.

+1

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by badcar

My whole perspective changed this year when my wife and I went through the IVF process. When I saw the blast placed inside, then weeks later seeing a heartbeat, and next week we get to find out the sex!

Those blobs of cells used to be just a blob of cells, now, for us, they are truely the greatest possible gift.

We have 3 frozen blasts left over. The option to donate to science was considered prior to a succesful implatation. Once we saw a heartbeat, our minds were changed and our only options for us is to give them a chance within our own family, or donate to someone with the same struggles to have children naturally.

Really happy for you. Honestly.
But not everyone needs to have children just because they want to.
Police: Charges Coming Against Python Owner in Florida Toddler's Strangling Death

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by creaturecat

Where was M. J. Fox, the "big time liberal" during our recent election?
Nowhere to be seen!
Some political agenda.

The agenda is not necessarily his own, rather he has been used by others to further their agendas. Is he even a U.S. citizen?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

The agenda is not necessarily his own, rather he has been used by others to further their agendas. Is he even a U.S. citizen?

He has been used? Have evidence or just emotion?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

He has been used? Have evidence or just emotion?

I should have added "hypothetically." He does have a foundation (client of my company) and its main purpose has nothing to do with abortion politics. But that doesn't mean pro-choice orgs, some pretty out there, aren't using his appearances to further their own agenda. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see some very political, pro-choice orgs like NARAL and Planned Parenthood (also clients of my company) having written large checks to his foundation. Strange bedfellows and all.