Edwards: Kerry Will Enable The Crippled To 'Get Up Out Of That Wheelchair And Walk Again'

By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
October 13, 2004

Speaking at a campaign rally in Iowa on Tuesday, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards declared if his running mate Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) is elected president, then they "will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases" and will enable the crippled to "get up out of that wheelchair and walk again."

Speaking to over 1,300 supporters in the Newton High School gym in Newton, Ohio, Edwards spoke for 30 minutes on jobs, taxes, and the economy, followed by a question and answer session.

Although the tone of the comments from Edwards were typical from the Democrat, it was his remarks on the issue of stem cell research about what a Kerry administration would do that caused heads to turn among those in attendance.

"We will do stem cell research," Edwards exclaimed. "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other debilitating diseases."

After declaring an end to these as yet incurable ailments, Edwards further politicized the issue by using the untimely death of actor Christopher Reeve on Sunday, who had promoted stem cell research as a means for curing spinal cord injuries, by making another unprecedented campaign promise.

"America just lost a great champion for this cause in Christopher Reeve," Edwards recalled. "People like Chris Reeve will get out of their wheelchairs and walk again with stem cell research."

Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) said in a statement that the Kerry-Edwards campaign is "shamefully trying to use the death of people like Christopher Reeve to promote falsehoods and dishonesty" regarding the Bush administration's position on stem cell research.

"There is no ban on stem cell research," Frist argued. "[Bush] is the first one to make it possible to do embryonic stem cell and adult stem cell using taxpayer dollars."

Family Research Council head Tony Perkins remarked in an e-mail to supporters on Tuesday that the Democratic ticket is hedging its bets on embryonic stem cell research rather than adult stem cell research.

"Edwards and Kerry attribute such healing power [over the ailments listed by Edwards] to destructive embryonic stem cell research," Perkins stated.

He added, "The [Bush] administration could do more to support adult stem cell research."

However, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) was quoted by the New York Times this week as saying, "I don't think you have to elect Senator Kerry to have more stem cell research ... I can't give you any specifics, but I think there's a chance the president may have a different view in a second term."

But Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman told Perkins on Tuesday that the president "will not change his position on embryonic stem cell research after the election and remains committed to the pro-life position of promoting adult stem cell research."