Michael J Fox makes stem cell plea
Michael J Fox in Back to the Future
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Wednesday, 25, Oct 2006 02:53
The Hollywood actor Michael J Fox has spoken out against hesitancy in the United States to extend funding for research into stem cells.
Supporters of the research point to its potential to tackle degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, which Fox suffers from, and Alzheimer's as it works towards understanding how to regenerate diseased or damaged cells, tissues and organs.
Fox has appeared at a rally and filmed campaign adverts for Democrats supporting the research.
Speaking in an advert for Claire McCaskill, a Democrat in Missouri who is challenging Republican senator Jim Talent for his seat in the state, Fox says: "They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.
"Unfortunately senator Jim Talent opposes stem cell research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalise the science that gives us a chance for hope."
But the advert was criticised by rightwing US radio host Rush Limbaugh, who accused Fox of "acting".
"Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting... He's exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh said in his broadcast.
Fox, who is perhaps best known for his role in the Back to the Future trilogy, has suffered from Parkinson's disease since 1991 and went public with the news in 1998.
Shortly after announcing his retirement from the hit TV series Spin City in 2000 Fox set up the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which has since raised over $70 million (£37 million).