USA Today reports that Dustin Hoffman has joined the list of Hollywood celebrities openly supporting stem cell research: "What this research has more to do with is not when life begins but when life ends. This research may one day eliminate [age-related diseases] from ending people's lives prematurely." It is sad that we live in a world in which we need influential people to stand up and say the obvious in order for medical research to proceed. To quote Hoffman again, "if the public speaks out and voices its desire that these cells be made available for scientific medical research, we will have an extraordinary opportunity to eliminate this disease called diabetes and many other autoimmune diseases."
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2004-05-18-hoffman_x.htm