This is the full Michael J Fox interview with Katie Couric on CBS as well as Keith Obermann's piece on Rush Limbaughs comments (including footage from Limbaugh's radio broadcast)
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2129742n
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=0d1a3a94-99eb-46b8-8920-baeb9b40b195&f=00&fg=copy
I am a Democrat and I think that is because I was raised a Democrat. It's all that I was taught. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but now as an adult I find that voting strictly along party lines is not always in my best interest.
Over the past 10 years, I've come to vote based on the issues, not party lines. Michael J. Fox rallys for both Democrats and Republicans. In this interview, he makes mention of Arlen Spector from a Republican from Pennsylvania as being "his guy" and also Mike Castle, a Republican Congressman from Delaware that also supports stem cell research. I voted for Castle as I campaigned for Democratic Senator Tom Carper and will continue to do so as long as Mr. Castle continues to be the best choice to represent my political views.
Towards the end of the interview there is a clip of a response ad. In it, Patricia Heaton (Everyone Loves Raymond) comments on how low income women could be seduced by big checks. I qualify as low income, but that does not mean that I will do anything for money. As an infertile woman, any embryo I create is invaluable to me. She also describes egg extraction as being an extremely complicated, dangerous and painful procedure. I don't know if Ms. Heaton knows from experience, but I do. I have gone though the egg retrieval process. The egg extraction is not that complicated, a needle is guided via ultrasound into the abdomen and the eggs are extracted from the surface of the ovaries. I was completely sedated and not aware during the procedure, so I did not feel a thing. After the procedure my stomach was tender in some spots, but it was nothing severe. As far as danger, there can be complications with any medical procedure no matter the complexity. In truth, I experienced more complications after having my wisdom teeth extracted.
Personally, the most painful part of the procedure was the fact that it was not successful. The loss and pain of infertility and not being able to have a family trumps the minimal physical stresses of invitro. If I can never create life, I would settle for being able to save one. It is why I am an organ donor. I would never offer a viable embryo, as long as there's a chance that it could become my son or daughter. But in the case non-viable embryos, I would prefer that they not be discarded or considered to be medical waste. Unfortunately I was never asked about it. It pains me even more now to know that there may have been something I could have done to help others and was unaware. I'm sure there are women and men who would not want their embryos used in any fashion and I think they have every right to say no. But for the people who want to do so, there should be a system in place to facilitate it.
This isn't just about Parkinson's, this medical research offers hope to people suffering from a number of ailments including Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries, and ALS. Treatment and/or cures may be 15 years off, but to me, that's all the more reason not to delay any longer.
This whole debate has brought me to this conclusion: I will support politicians regardless of party affiliation, that support my beliefs so that my beliefs are represented and my voice is heard.
There are a number of questions raised on both side, investigate them, ask questions and make informed decisions. Read up on ALL the issues, decide what's important to you and vote based on the best candidate. Doesn't matter if its Democrat, Republican or Independent. Go to 'get to know you' meetings for the oposition, read policies, check out how they've voted in the past. You may come away with renewed faith in your candidate or a change of heart. Its more work, but we will all be better represented and our country will be better off in the long run.
Be in the know and then go vote on November 7th, then start researching for 2008.
