Kerry Pushes Stem Cell Research

Sen. John F. Kerry sought today to flesh out his portrait of President Bush as stubbornly rigid and indifferent to the concerns of Americans, citing the administration’s restrictions on federally funded stem cell research as evidence of the president’s lack of empathy.

Campaigning in New Hampshire with actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, and later in Philadelphia, the Democratic presidential candidate took up an issue that powerfully resonates with many moderate and swing voters. Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support expanding federal funding for more stem cell research.

Kerry told hundreds of supporters packed into a stuffy high school gym in Hampton, N.H., that more than 100 million Americans suffer from diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and others that could be alleviated through research on embryonic stem cells.

“When it comes to stem cell research, this president is making the wrong choice to sacrifice science for extreme right-wing ideology, and that’s unacceptable,” Kerry said during a town hall meeting at Winnacunnet High School.

The campaign also released a 30-second television ad touting his support for stem cell research.

The Bush campaign rejected Kerry’s criticism as inaccurate.

“John Kerry’s attacks on stem cell research are trying to mislead the American people by implying a ban that doesn’t exist,” spokesman Steve Schmidt said in a statement.

He noted that Bush was the first president to authorize the federal funding of stem cell research in August 2001.

But Bush’s policy limited funding to preexisting stem cell lines, which researchers and advocates say are tainted and inadequate.

“We’re really losing ground here,” said Fox, who has Parkinson’s. “If America leads as it should, it would be done right, it would be done ethically, it would help millions and millions and millions of people.”

Kerry pressed his argument that Bush has neglected the needs of average Americans in favor of his own ideology.

“The issue of stem cell research is symbolic of this administration and of our president,” he said in Hampton. “It tells the story about how he makes decisions. It tells the story of how he sees the world.”

Kerry added: “This underscores, in my judgment, the perils of having a president who turns his back on science in favor of ideology, and as a result abandons millions of Americans’ hopes, the hopes of the country, and the possibilities of the future.”

During the 90-minute town hall meeting, the candidate’s message was illustrated by sometimes tearful testimony from people suffering from various diseases, and others whose relatives have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

Steve Walter, a registered Republican from nearby Londonderry, told the audience that he voted for Bush in 2000 because he “assumed the Republican Party had my best interests in mind.”

But after his son Alex, now 7, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Walter said he became upset by the restrictions on stem cell funding. With Alex perched next to him on a stool, Walter described how his son’s hands have grown calloused from the hourly needle pricks to test his blood sugar.

“He’s a tough kid — probably superhero status,” said a tearful Walter, kissing his son’s face, as the audience rose in a standing ovation.

“For President Bush to turn his back and limit stem cell research is morally irresponsible and shows a total disregard for human life,” Walter added.

Bedford resident Beth Salzman described how her 57-year-old sister suffers from an early onset of Alzheimer’s diseases.

“If there is a hope that stem cell research can do something for this disease, I think it touches so many of us,” she said. “It’s in my prayers — my pro-life prayers — that Sen. Kerry will be our next president.”

Kerry said on this matter Bush “just doesn’t get it.”

“Faced with the facts, he turns away,” the Democrat said. “Time and again, he’s proven he’s stubborn, he’s out of touch, he’s unwilling to change course.

“And it’s not, obviously, a stubbornness limited to this field, because we see it in the conduct of our foreign affairs, we see it in the decisions and choices made about Iraq,” he added. “We see it in the unwillingness to be realistic about bringing countries to our side.”

Kerry also defended his use of the phrase “global test” during his debate last week with the president, saying he did not say that he would seek permission from other nations before defending America’s security.

“This is what they do,” Kerry said. “Folks, it’s almost sad. It is certainly pathetic. Because all they can do is grab a little phrase and try to play a game and scare Americans.

“If they were honest enough to give America the full quote, which America heard, they would know that I’m never going to allow America’s security to be outsourced,” Kerry said. “The test I was talking about was a test of legitimacy, not just in the globe, but elsewhere. If you do things that are illegitimate in the eyes of other people, it’s very hard to get them to share the burden and risk with you.”

Kerry campaigned later in Philadelphia, where he met with African American clergy, and then flew to Iowa, where he is scheduled to campaign Tuesday.