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Source: Toronto Star Oct. 12, 2004. 01:00 AM Death fuels volatile stem cell debate TIM HARPER WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON—Christopher Reeve's death has added another layer of emotion to what already had become a volatile debate over stem cell research on the U.S. campaign trail. Democratic challenger John Kerry invoked the name of Reeve, a passionate advocate for stem cell research, in last Friday's presidential debate in St. Louis, Mo., then revealed yesterday he had received a call from the actor on Saturday, the day before he died. Reeve thanked him for continuing to push for the end of restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. Careful not to politicize Reeve's death, Kerry told backers in Santa Fe, N.M., that "I know, that if we put our minds to it, one day we're going to realize Chris' inevitable dream, and that's our mission for all of us." The actor's death is the second during this presidential campaign to highlight the research that Kerry has said could help speed cures for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, leukemia, cancer, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan died of complications from Alzheimer's in June, shortly after his wife Nancy had called on George W. Bush to lift his limits on stem cell research. Ronald Reagan Jr. made such a plea to the Democratic convention in July. On Friday, Bush said balancing science and ethics was one of today's biggest dilemmas. "Embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of life to create a stem cell,'' Bush said. "I'm the first president ever to allow funding, federal funding, for embryonic stem cell research. I did so because I, too, hope that we'll discover cures from the stem cells and from the research derived." But he has placed limits on the research, funding only work on existing stem cell lines. Kerry spoke of Reeve in last week's debate. "Chris Reeve is a friend of mine,'' Kerry said. "Chris Reeve exercises every single day to keep those muscles alive for the day when he believes he can walk again — and I want him to walk again.'' Michael J. Fox, the Canadian actor who suffers from Parkinson's disease, also appeared with Kerry last week and is featured in a commercial backing the Democrat's position. In a 2003 interview with CNN's Paula Zahn, Reeve said he believed he could remove the politics from stem cell research. "I had the opportunity to speak to many senators, many representatives ... particularly on the issue known as therapeutic cloning,'' he said. "But I'm amazed to find out how many of our elected officials do not know or did not know that this (therapeutic cloning) involves an unfertilized egg. It's not destroying the union of male and female. It's an unfertilized egg that just sits in the lab.'' He told a congressional hearing in 2000 that unused embryos that will never become human beings are just tossed into the garbage instead of being used to further research. In the interview with Zahn, Reeve pleaded with opponents to keep an open mind on the question: "You know, you can't legislate compassion, but that's what's needed most.'' Neither Bush nor his campaign commented on Reeve's death yesterday. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Ar ticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1097531408985&call_pageid=968332188854&col=9683 50060724 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn