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TEXAS: Bowers: Vote For My Husband's Life MARTHA BOWERS Guest column 10/30/04 The struggle my husband wages daily against Parkinson's disease has produced a profound change in me. This election, after voting for Republicans for 24 years, will see me instead voting for the Democrat. I was very devastated when President Bush tied gifted scientists' hands by severely limiting the scope and funding of embryonic stem cell research. Thus he chilled all forms of this possible life-saving research and effectively took us out of world leadership in this regard. Federal funding for fiscal 2005 is a mere $24 million dollars for embryonic stem cell research. Yet here in Texas alone a single anonymous donor has given $25 million to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston for such research. This gift would have been out of the question if certain Republicans in the Texas House had their way and made such research a criminal act in Texas. President Bush proposed a mere 2.7 percent increase in bio-medical research funding for fiscal 2005, not even close to keeping up with the bio-medical sciences rate of inflation. All of us have been touched with loved ones whom have Alzheimers, cancer, diabetes, muscular dystrophies, stroke, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson's. You may call me a single-issue voter, but I'm fighting for my husband's life — a man I met 26 years ago, knowing instantly that he would be the father of my children. Love at first sight. Our three children can tell you first-hand what it is like to watch their father's daily struggles — even to stand up from a chair without falling. We watch multitudes of symptoms rack his body, even with the best of available medications. When we received the devastating diagnoses of Parkinson's 3 1/2 years ago, I made sure my husband knew I would always be there for him, that I would see him as my husband, and not the disease. The need for increased and expanded embryonic stem cell research is so easily seen from my perspective. I want our best scientists, medical doctors and researchers to be able to carry on this important research. Our two oldest children will also be casting their vote with me for their father's best chance at life. I see a tomorrow when the constraints of Parkinson's will be lifted away by a cure. This is not false hope or a pipe dream. I'm voting for life. Martha F. Bowers of Tehuacana is a licensed social worker assistant in a Waco nursing home. SOURCE: Waco News http://tinyurl.com/6fezl * * *Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> Please place this address in your address book Please purge all others Web site: Parkinsons Resources on the WWWeb http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn