# The Pope has Parkinson's disease **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213 "2003-05-19T09:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tommyturtle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Tommyturtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tommyturtle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/21 "2003-05-21T04:02:05Z")
Since this is my OP I have a hypothetical question for you guys… What if a cure came in tomorrow but the researcher had used fetuses to make the discovery do you think the Pope would take the cure? Would you REALLY not want him not to accept it considering what he must be going through right now? Personally if I had strong negative feelings about the ethicity of using fetal tissue I would still take the cure since what I’ve heard about the disease is so horrible…potentially drowning in my own saliva or having someone wipe me after going to the bathroom while my body becomes my enemy and my mind is still aware of every indignity. I think it might be easier in the abstract to hold to your principles as long as it’s not you or a loved one with the disease But that’s just me ---
**Author:** ![Tommyturtle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Tommyturtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tommyturtle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/22 "2003-05-21T04:19:45Z")
Sorry about the double post. It timed out and I thought it didn’t go through. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/23 "2003-05-21T11:55:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*First, “The Pope Has Parkinson’s Disease”. Big newsflash:rolleyes: > > I feel sorry for anyone who has to endure a horrible disease. But I agree with almost nothing the Catholic church does. The pope is standing in the way of the potential health and well-being of a hugh portion of the world. This is not the way the top spiritual leader should conduct business.:dubious: \*\* I agree. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/24 "2003-05-21T12:07:15Z")
Don’t forget that he also used to be goalkeeper for the Polish national soccer team! That said, I agree with **Zenster’s** penultimate paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/25 "2003-05-21T12:57:48Z")
but, for the Vatican, it’s improvement at what cost? If the research is carried out using zygotes/foetuses, then it is against the churches teachings. But remember, as has already been pointed out, all the decrees in the world aren’t going to have any sort of legal binding. If the funding and the laws exist for the research, then the research will go ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/26 "2003-05-21T15:00:10Z")
What about the fetus that is stillborn or a child that dies shortly after birth? Are those OK? What about spontaneous abortion? What about a murdered mom and unborn? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213/27 "2003-05-21T15:42:17Z")
All this is assuming that SCR will one day lead to a treatment (cure might be too optimistic) for PD which is effective, long-lasting and without many negative side effects. Currently there are treatments for the disease, many of which work well for some people, for short periods of time, without too many side effects. None of them work for everyone, for long periods of time, and without side effects. I doubt SCR will lead to the kind of panacaea that many people think it will. For example, anti-rejection therapy may be needed, and that could lead to unwanted side effects in itself. It may require surgery (with all its attendant risks) to implant the cells, and this may need to be repeated. It may not work for everyone, it may lead to other syndromes and effects we havn’t prepared for, including brain tumours. Just as we can treat and cure many diseases such as cancer and heart disease with radical chemotherapies and surgeries, there will always be people who will weigh up the risks and benefits and decide that treatment is not in their best interest. This is unlikely to change. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-parkinsons-disease/176213.md?page=1)