Since the death of President Ronald Reagan, Alzheimer’s disease has evolved into a hot button issue for Right and Left wingers alike. Public opinion has swayed in favor of increased funding to treat this devastating illness.
Not too long ago, the government decided that it would spend over $600 million on Alzheimer’s research. Some critics say that liberals are using the general public’s sentimentality over a much-beloved president to bump liberal policies on funding for embryonic stem cell research that Reagan would have opposed.
Others, Reagan’s wife and child included, claim that embryonic stem cell research is hope for the future and something good that could come from his death. Fans say that embryonic stem cell research has the ability to help scientists find a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other devastating illnesses like cancer and Parkinson’s disease, which affect millions. They assert the easiest way to increase research is through increased funding. Liberals particularly favor the research, since they don’t historically view embryos as the start of human life. Supporters also claim that polls show that educated American citizens favor the research, particularly after the passing of Ronald Reagan.
Alzheimer’s disease, proponents say, can only be cured if everyone rallies together to support embryonic stem cell research. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, who are essentially conservative and pro-life, claim that Ronald Reagan’s perspectives differed from his wife. They say that nobody can know for sure whether he’d have favored the research, but during his tenure as president, he blocked funding on embryonic research and staunchly supported the pro-life movement. They also say that embryonic stem cell research may not basically help scientists treat or understand Alzheimer’s and that adult stem cells or umbilical cord blood may turn out to be more promising. They think that proponents’ claims of embryonic stem cell research as a miracle cure have been used to sway public view.
In their minds, supporters care less about Ronald Reagan, Alzheimer’s disease, and systematic research than they do about state funding and their own liberal political agendas. They question if the general public would actually support embryonic stem cell research if they knew how much they would pay for it. The recent Bush administration attempted to circumvent the subject of embryonic stem cell research, especially since the demise of Ronald Reagan. Alzheimer’s disease is probably not going to be a problem that will fade from the general public’s consciousness, though. The great number of people impacted by the illness is predicted to triple by 2050, placing an incredible stress on the nation’s health care infrastructure.
In 2001, Bush supported funding research only on formerly existing embryos, but he didn’t deter non-public research. Some professionals say this tiny endorsement of stem cell research has basically stopped scientists from entering the field. Whichever direction is taken to provide the key to sorting out the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease – whether embryonic stem cell research, adult stem cell research, or umbilical cord blood – policymakers in Washington need to leave their political agendas at the door and target finding a cure. In that way, maybe Ronald Reagan’s death can be viewed as a turning point.