Newsweek: Patti Davis says concerning stem cell research "the government should get out of the way"

[Wise Young]

Press Release
Source: Newsweek

NEWSWEEK COVER: Nancy's Story
Sunday June 13, 10:43 am ET

Her Stem-Cell Crusade: Can We Cure Alzheimer's?

Patti Davis Says Her Mother Has Emerged As Central Figure In Effort 'To Get The Federal Government Out of the Way'; 'She Is the Voice of Stem-Cell Research Now'

NIH Director to Meet With Representatives Who Urge Easing of Restrictions on Research

NEW YORK, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti Davis writes that 10 years ago, when her father wrote his last letter to the country, if you heard the words "stem-cell research," you would have no idea what it meant unless you were a scientist and particularly well informed. "Now, in 2004, it is the miracle that can not only cure Alzheimer's but many other diseases and afflictions. Now, in 2004, my mother has emerged as a central figure in the effort to get the federal government out of the way. If that phrase about the government sounds familiar, it should. I grew up hearing my father say often that the government should get out of the way," Davis writes in the current issue of Newsweek. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040613/NYSU004 )

She says she also grew up hearing her father say that everything happens for a reason and that "God has a plan." Now, with his death from Alzheimer's disease, she says her mother has a chance to make a contribution to this country and to the world. "She is the voice for stem-cell research now. But she found her full voice only recently; it was just a few weeks ago that she was publicly honored for her efforts -- an honor that placed her firmly at center stage. It has also placed her firmly against the White House -- at least those currently in residence there. I swear I can hear my father chuckling at that."

Davis's essay is part of the July 21 Newsweek cover package, "Nancy's Story. Her Stem-Cell Crusade: Can We Cure Alzheimer's?" (on newsstands Monday, July 14). In Washington, the political future of stem-cell medicine remains unclear. Last month President Bush's domestic-policy adviser reiterated the president's stance in a meeting with Reps. Diana DeGette and Michael Castle, bipartisan architects of a House letter signed by more than 200 members urging Bush to relax his restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. This week, National Institutes of Health Director Elias Zerhouni will sit down with them as well, Newsweek has learned. "It's my hope that the president will revisit the issue," says Republican Senator Arlen Specter, an embryonic-stem-cell advocate.

Newspapers ran editorials calling on President Bush to honor Ronald Reagan's legacy by revising his stem-cell policy and a New York congressman introduced the Ronald Reagan Memorial Stem Cell Research Act of 2004. All of this infuriated embryonic opponents: one senior Republican aide said naming stem-cell legislation after the president, who was ardently opposed to abortion, was "unbelievably shameless." But out of respect for Reagan, the adversaries mostly held their fire. Bush stayed mum, but privately officials said he would not budge on his opposition to destroying human embryos for the sake of science. "No dramatic advance, no scientific development will change the ethical principle" underlying Bush's position, a senior administration official told Newsweek last week.

The cover package also includes a report on how Nancy Reagan cared for her husband these last 10 years and exclusive recollections of him from past presidents and close acquaintances. Highlights:
* Former President George H.W. Bush: "It's early to judge him in terms of
history, but I think President Reagan will rank very high. He had a
handful of principles, and he stuck to them. Communism is bad, high
taxes are bad, free enterprise is good, and he stayed with those, even
when there were some necessary variations when he had to compromise with
a hostile Congress. But he used these strong, strong beliefs to shape
his presidency, and I think most people now will see that."

* Former President Gerald Ford: "I would have loved to have had him on my
ticket as vice president in 1976. I thought he would have made a great,
great teammate. I still think so. But we got the word -- it came to Don
Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, who were my principal advisers -- that if I
won the nomination, under no circumstances should we ask Reagan to run
as my running mate. I was disappointed because I believe a Ford-Reagan
team would have prevailed against the Democrats."

* Former President Bill Clinton: "Even when our policy differences were
sharp, he was never mean-spirited about it. He always had a capacity to
see beyond partisanship to our common belief in a brighter future for
America and the world. I especially admired his unmistakable belief that
freedom is a universal value that would come in time to all people in
the world, and that we all had a responsibility to help speed the coming
of that day."

* Kirk Douglas, actor: "He gave validity to the theory that a poor
American boy has a chance to grow up to become president. During his
eight years in that office, he radiated that optimism to the world.
Holly wood is often thought of as a home of liberal Democrats. But
Hollywood's most important contribution in the political arena was
Reagan: the man who won the cold war."

* Dennis LeBlanc, former aide and ranch hand: "He felt rejuvenated after
doing a lot of physical labor. When we went up to work, he went up to
work. There was never a day that we took off to relax. He did not like
to stay in the house. He was up there to work, so he was going to be
busy."

* A.C. Lyles, Hollywood producer: "He'd just been shot, and I think this
was his first trip after that. And the people were very worried about
his being shot again. In the middle of the speech, there was a 'pow.'
Everybody ducked. Ronnie just looked over in the direction of where the
sound came from and said, 'You missed me.' It was a backfire outside."

( Read complete cover package at http://www.Newsweek.com )

[Faye]

Article Published: Sunday, June 13, 2004
Stem-cell debate renewed in wake of Reagan's death

By Anne C. Mulkern
Denver Post Staff Writer


Post file / Glen Martin
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, had help from her diabetic daughter, Frannie, when she campaigned in 2002. DeGette staunchly advocates federal aid for embryonic stem-cell research.

Washington - Colorado Congressman Mark Udall watched Parkinson's disease steal his father's ability to walk, dress, feed himself and, most excruciatingly of all, talk to his family.

Rep. Diana DeGette spent hours in the emergency room after her daughter, Frannie, 10, suffered convulsions from insulin shock related to her treatment for Type I diabetes.

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell lost his father to Alzheimer's disease.

All three support increasing federal funding and support for embryonic stem-cell research. Like many members of Congress, they understand Nancy Reagan's newfound advocacy for stem-cell research because they too have experienced debilitating and life-threatening diseases in their families.

The stem-cell issue gained new momentum in Congress last week after the death of former President Ronald Reagan.

"If President Reagan's death, as sad as that is, helped move this administration to the right position, it would mean a lot to me and to my family and to a lot of these people who are battling these terrible diseases right now," said Udall, a Democrat.

Morris Udall, an Arizona congressman who was 57 when Parkinson's was diagnosed, died in 1998, seven years after he had fallen and lapsed into a vegetative state.
Researchers say embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to grow into 220 different human cells, could theoretically be used to replace missing or damaged tissues, possibly curing now-incurable diseases. Initial targets include diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and degenerative neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Party lines grow moot

Stem cells typically are taken from days-old human embryos - often left over from in-vitro fertilization efforts - then are laboratory-grown into lines or colonies. In experiments, those cells have been grown into needed tissues and injected into mice that have Parkinson's disease or spinal-cord injuries.

Because the embryos are destroyed when the cells are extracted, some conservatives consider their use similar to abortion.

President Bush opposes expanding embryonic stem-cell research beyond a limited pool of stem-cell lines, but with this issue, party lines appear to be increasingly meaningless.

Several lawmakers who oppose abortion rights now are advocating embryonic stem-cell studies. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, whose spokesman describes him as an "anti-abortion warrior," just introduced legislation that would legalize not only federally funded stem-cell research but also embryo cloning for such research.
The day before Reagan died June 5, 58 senators sent Bush a letter outlining the current limitations on science and asking him to "modify" his position on embryonic stem cells "so that it provides this area of research the greatest opportunity to lead to the treatments and cures for which we are all hoping."

The letter, released two days after Reagan's death, was the latest signal that Congress increasingly seems willing to challenge Bush on the issue.

At the same time, patient advocacy groups stepped up their lobbying. Foundations for Parkinson's disease and juvenile diabetes last week had families call the White House, logging their support for embryonic stem-cell research. More than 300 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation delegates lobbied lawmakers on the issue Thursday in Washington.

"I really think Nancy Reagan's support really helped us with the (Senate) letter," said DeGette, a Denver Democrat and one of two House members who for the past few years have led the stem-cell crusade. "I think it's helping to keep the debate in the forefront."


Source

"I do not believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
- Galileo Galilei

[Wise Young]

The number of stem cell stories that have appeared in the last two days is truly amazing. They range from ones that are critical of Nancy Reagan (in the minority):

Reagan respected all life; stem-cell debate appalling

to literally hundreds of stem cell stories. Every editor must be assigning a stem cell story to one of their reporters. Just search on google for stem cells and you will find them.

Wise.

[Scott Pruett]

Great to see this in some major news sources. Call me crazy, but I really think the upcoming Senate hearing that Susan/Superstar will be part of is going to have some significant pull towards this cause too. If nothing else, voices are being heard.

[Wise Young]

The number of editorials and articles that are telling President Bush to get out of the way are increasing.

• The News-Press of Southwest Florida has an Editorial: Clear way for research on stem cells.

• Judith Graham of the Chicago Tribune wrote in an article named Bush resists pressure to ease stem-cell curb:

Bush can't afford to alienate this core, conservative base only months before the election, political commentators said. But he cannot appear insensitive to entreaties from Nancy Reagan, whose grief at her husband's death moved millions of people and who believes stem-cell research offers hope for cures to disease.

Whether conservative voters can be won over to Nancy Reagan's position is an open question. According to a March poll by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Civil Society Institute, 44 percent of conservatives think federal funding should be extended to new cell lines that meet ethics regulations, compared with 28 percent who believe current restrictions should remain intact.

Among Catholics, 70 percent were in favor of expanded funding for new lines, with 15 percent against it. The telephone survey of 802 voters in 18 states had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

• Abigail Trafford wrote in the Washington Post Nancy Reagan's Second Act:

Nancy Reagan has aged, but she's also grown.

The First Lady who presided over the Dazzle Years of her husband's presidency has become First Advocate for research on Alzheimer's, the disease that felled her husband.

...

Just as Nancy Reagan once urged Americans to "just say no" to drugs, she is now urging members of Congress to just say no to the government's limitations on this line of research.

...

She frames human embryonic stem cell research not as a moral issue but as a medical imperative. Not a partisan punching bag, but a public responsibility. To her, this is the moment to overcome divisions and face this epidemic as a unified society.

...

As Nancy Reagan said last month: "Science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers that for so long have been beyond our grasp. . . . We have lost so much time already. I just really can't bear to lose any more."•

• Sheryl Gay Stolberg wrote today in the New York Times:

As Republicans try to cloak President Bush in the mantle of Ronald Reagan, their biggest obstacle may be Mr. Reagan's own family.

Even before Mr. Reagan died, Nancy Reagan and her daughter, Patti Davis, made their opposition to Mr. Bush's policy on stem-cell research well known. But on Friday, at the culmination of an emotional week of mourning for the former president, his son Ron Reagan delivered a eulogy that castigated politicians who use religion "to gain political advantage," a comment that was being interpreted in Washington as a not-so-subtle slap at Mr. Bush.

The remark has provoked intense debate among Republicans about precisely what the younger Mr. Reagan meant. Some saw the reference to religion as a message to the administration on stem-cell research. Others saw it as a possible critique of the war in Iraq. Still others insist there was no deeper message at all.

But a friend of the Reagan family, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Reagan, who did not return a call seeking comment on Monday, was deeply uncomfortable with the way the Bush administration intertwined religion and politics and felt compelled to say so at the burial of his father, a ceremony watched by millions.

...

Last year, in an interview with the online magazine Salon, Mr. Reagan renewed his critique, making clear his distaste for the Bush administration.

"The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now," Mr. Reagan said then. "Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the 80's. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's - these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."

Mr. Reagan was not quite so pointed on Friday night. "Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man," he told mourners gathered at sunset at the Reagan presidential library. "But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians - wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference."

[mk99]

"The number of editorials and articles that are telling President Bush to get out of the way are increasing."

Doesn't matter. (at least until November one way or the other) President Bush has made it clear he intends to "stay the course" with his ESC decision despite facts, reality or the will of the majority.

[Steven Edwards]

Sadly, most people in this country will have forgotten Reagan's death by November. I wouldn't be surprised if many haven't already.

-Steven
...an affluent suburb. 3:30 in the afternoon. 64 degrees and cloudy. the white house declined comment.

[Faye]

Originally posted by Steven Edwards:

Sadly, most people in this country will have forgotten Reagan's death by November. I wouldn't be surprised if many haven't already.

-Steven

Never underestimate the power of a woman. Reagan didn't!!!

From the article:
Until my father's death on June 5, I had no idea why God would have wanted him to last so long with a disease that stole so much. Why did his soul have to linger in a body and a mind that had been so cruelly conquered? Why
did my mother have to go through year after year of drawn-out loss?

I think I know now. And I think my father is smiling and saying, "I told you there is a reason for everything." Because my mother now has a chance to make a contribution to this country and this world, arguably as important as those of my father's. She is the voice for stem-cell research now. But she found her full voice only recently; it was just a few weeks ago that she was publicly honored for her efforts*an honor that placed her firmly at
center stage.

It has also placed her firmly against the White House*at least those currently in residence there. I swear I can hear my father chuckling at that.

Just as she believed in him, I think in his soul he believed in her enough to linger here in this world*long enough for her to step forward, long enough for her to accept that she has an important role to play even
after he is gone. Although, of course, he isn't really gone; the crowds and the
outpouring of love and reverence have proved that. He lives on in this country and in this world. He lives on in people's hearts and minds and memories. Most of all, he lives on in my mother.

"As our cause is new, so must we think anew and act anew" - Lincoln

[Steven Edwards]

I meant forgetting the man he was, as described by Ron Reagan, Jr.

-Steven
...picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies