“Here we are, with the ability to use cells that could become any tissue or cell type in the body, that hold the promise of curing everything from Alzheimer’s to cancer to spinal cord injury. Yet we are stalled by an ethical debate which to me is hard to understand.”
Christopher Reeve, who died on 10 October, on the frustration of watching the slow progress being made in stem cell research (91av, 15 March 2003, p 54)
“Religion cannot and must not interfere in this debate.”
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Reeve, speaking on stem cells and cloning at the Royal Society, London (22 April)
“Chris Reeve exercises every day to keep those muscles alive for the day when he believes he can walk again.”
John Kerry on furthering research in embryonic stem cell therapies so that people like Reeve can be treated (Debate between presidential candidates, 8 October)
“My feeling is that Christopher Reeve always realised that the likelihood of substantial progress in his lifetime was limited, and that his was an altruistic effort to advance medical research for the benefit of those who would come after him.”
Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the UK’s Medical Research Council (BBC Online, 11 October)
“His reach may be even broader in death than in life.”
Susan Howley, director of research at the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, talking to 91av on 11 October
