Rush is (almost) right

Just in time for the elections, Rush Limbaugh is on the hot seat again. In an article on MSNBC.com, David Montgomery reports that Limbaugh made fun of Michael J. Fox, accusing him of faking his Parkinson's disease for political ads¹. Rush is quoted in the article as having said, "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease… He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act… This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

Video transcript:
As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill who shares my hope for cures. Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wants to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope. They say all politics is local, but it's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.

Is Rush Right? Is Michael J. Fox exaggerating in this video in order to make a political point? Well, sort of. I don't think it is very smart to claim that Fox's movements were "purely an act," but I would say with certainty that Fox is exaggerating in this video, not in his actions but in his words.

I share his hope for cures for diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal chord injuries, and so on. Like him, I hope that medical scientists find breakthrough cures for these diseases. The problem is, "the science that gives us a chance for hope" (i.e. embryonic stem cell research) has not yielded a single result that would indicate that it will produce cures for anything. Fox is the latest in a long line of celebrities and politicians to make broad, hopeful sounding statements about stem cell research, and how it holds the cure for all sorts of diseases, including Parkinson's. These statements about the potential of embryonic stem cell research are blatant exaggerations, to put it mildly.

Let me put things in perspective. To date, embryonic stem cell research has not yielded a single cure (or even a successful treatment) for ANYTHING. In fact, "Not a single embryonic stem cell has ever been tested in a human being, for any disease." 2 Adult stem cell research has produced 72 different treatments and therapies that have been successful, at least to some extent ((PDF source)source), healing everything from broken bones to MS.

Back in 2001, a big deal was made about President Bush's decision to prohibit the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. What wasn't mentioned by too many onlookers was that the President was only following the lead of private investors.

Have you ever heard of biotech stocks? Well, it isn't too hard to find people to invest in research that is making progress toward a cure, because they know that there will be a huge payoff when the cure is discovered, the drug is approved, and so on. If embryonic stem cell research were really on the cusp of producing cures for all of the diseases its proponents claim that it is, there would be no need for federal funding. People would be lined up to cash in on these medical miracles. As the saying goes, money talks, and in the case of embryonic stem cell research, things are pretty quiet.

Limbaugh shouldn't have said what he said, mostly because he didn't need to. Making fun of an actor becomes rather unneccessary when you know the true state of affairs regarding stem cell research. The real story here isn't whether or not Michael J. Fox was "exaggerate" the symptoms of his disease, but rather why politicians and celebrities continue to exaggerate the potential of embryonic stem cell research. But, if you trust an actor for advice on who you should vote for, you've got problems of your own to worry about.