Parkinson's too terrible to limit research options

Orville B. Iverson - Woodside, Calif.

I found the comments made by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh about the political ad featuring Michael J. Fox hard to believe ("Limbaugh says actor Fox exaggerating his disease as stem cell issue churns," News, Oct. 25).

(Fox: The actor, who has Parkinson’s disease, campaigns in Ohio on Monday for a U.S. Senate candidate. He supports candidates who favor federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells, which could lead to a cure for Parkinson’s. / By Kiichiro Sato, AP)

I lost a dear friend to Parkinson's disease, an educator who was very effective in working with youngsters in our public education system. When Parkinson's took over his body, he was no longer in control of his bodily functions, even though his mind remained lucid to the very end.

I would not wish this terrible disease on anyone, even Limbaugh. We should not prevent possibilities to find cures and prevention methods.

Politicians not pro-disease

Dwayne Keith - Valrico, Fla.

No one seeking election is in favor of Parkinson's disease. Struggling with the ethical questions raised by fertilizing a human egg solely for the purposes of experimentation does not make one pro-disease ("Fox: Not off medicine in political ads," USATODAY.com, Oct. 27).

Sensationalizing the sufferings of a celebrity for the purposes of electioneering is more troubling than a loud-mouthed radio host doubting the sincerity of extreme manifestations of illness in a political ad.

I believe President Bush has done more for AIDS sufferers than most other politicians have. What would have been said if he had used an emaciated, lesion-afflicted AIDS patient in TV spots in 2004 suggesting that John Kerry didn't care about AIDS? The outrage would have been palpable.

Illness on parade for the purposes of hyping some politician is not something we need to see more often. Disease sufferers shouldn't hide, but they ought not to use their sorrowful conditions, exaggerated or not, for electioneering. The process itself and the incumbent boilerplate we are subjected to every two years is loathsome enough without this demeaning practice becoming commonplace.

Judgment without facts

Sheryl Jedlinski, Parkinson's Patient Advocate, Parkinson Pipeline Project - Palatine, Ill.

Rush Limbaugh has reached a new low. This time, he has accused Michael J. Fox of either not taking his medication or acting to exaggerate his Parkinson's disease symptoms for a television ad endorsing a Senate candidate who favors federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

It is embarrassing that in our enlightened society, celebrities with incurable diseases must personally beg the American public to support research that most scientists agree holds great promise for curing the world's worst illnesses. It is even more embarrassing that opponents of this research consider public attacks on the character of these celebrities a substitute for debating the merits of the research.

The fact is Limbaugh, and most in his camp, have little or no scientific expertise. They simply feel that their religious beliefs should dictate what constitutes ethical research. Here's a bulletin: We don't live in a Middle Eastern country run by Islamic law. This is a nation that separates church and state.

Fortunate to be among the temporarily healthy, Limbaugh has no idea what it is like to live with a disease that day-by-day robs people of their independence and dignity. If he could spend just one day in Fox's body, he would understand.

As a mother who has had Parkinson's for more than eight years, I am well aware of the genetic component of this horrific disease, and I am determined to battle with my last breath not just for me, but also for my two adult sons and the grandchildren I may or may not live to see. Good health is fleeting. Remember that when you vote.

Exploitation for politics

J. Mesaros - Mission, Texas

I find it interesting that the media are ridiculing Rush Limbaugh for his comments about Michael J. Fox. Fox, in his own book, tells how he has manipulated his medicine usage in the past to make his symptoms more evident.

My brother-in-law has had Parkinson's about the same period of time as Fox, and I have seen him have varying degrees of tremors. He has good days and bad days. If Fox wasn't being exploited by the Democrats for his disease in order to garner votes, why didn't he or they choose to tape the commercial spot at a time when Fox's symptoms were less noticeable? It is because, whether his symptoms were real or exaggerated, he and the Democrats whom he represents want to appeal to sympathy and not to the truth.