Christopher Reeve attacks those obstructing medical studies
Seven years ago one-time Superman star Christopher Reeve was paralysed in a riding accident. He’s since shown remarkable determination in his bid to recover.
Now, however, he’s not just battling paralysis but also the Bush administration which, he believes, has “dropped the ball” on stem-cell research - a form of technology which could one day provide a cure for people with spinal injuries like Reeve’s.
Reeve accuses Bush of listening to the Christian right at the expense of reasoned scientific opinion. He has congratulated Tony Blair and the House of Lords for Britain’s decision to allow some forms of stem cell research. At the Labour Party Conference in Blackpool Blair said he was “proud” to have been thanked by Superman.
But even in the UK opinion is mixed. In this discussion with Reeve, Today also spoke to Michael Jarmulowicz of the Guild of Catholic Doctors.
Jarmulowicz said he believes it to be “wrong for one human life to be used for the benefit of another”. He also rejected the need for embryonic stem cell research, saying tests on animals would prove just as useful. Reeve retorted that adult stem cells “cannot get the job done” and that the ability to manipulate these forms of cells “could save millions of lives”.
