Ron Reagan and stem cell research.
As Ron Reagan attempts to leverage his father’s legacy to get federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, which would guarantee the destruction of thousands of embryos for no purpose other than medical research, it will be good to keep two things in mind.
First, Ron Reagan himself admits that stem cell research will not cure or even help treat Alzheimer’s, the disease that afflicted his father, President Ronald Reagan. (*)
Second, as Ron Reagan’s brother Michael Reagan reports, Ron Reagan voted for his father in neither the presidential race of 1980 nor of 1984. (†) Michael Reagan also notes that the benefits of stem cell research can all be achieved through adult stem cell research. That way informed consent can be secured from adult donors of stem cells. Using adult, not embryonic, stem cells would eliminate the ethical problem of destroying thousands of embryos without consent for no purpose other than research.