The embryonic stem cell research industry received a second big blow last week when in an ABC interview actor and huge embryonic stem cell research proponent Michael J. Fox admitted escr isn’t panning out to be all he and others touted it to be in the fight against his own Parkinson’s disease and other maladies and injuries.

The first blow came six months ago when escr’s original proponent, Geron Corporation, announced it was cutting its losses and pulling out.

Fox admitted to Diane Sawyer:

UPDATE, 5:03p: Brad Mattes of Life Issues Institute forwarded me a “Response to PepsiCo Denial” of involvement in the use of aborted baby cells in the event one of us received a email from PepsiCo stating:

Please know that PepsiCo does not conduct or fund research that utilizes any human tissue or cell lines derived from embryos.

And wouldn’t you know reader Pam just received such a denial from PepsiCo and forwarded it to me. So those emailing Pepsi will find LII’s paper handy.

10:29: I have received a few requests from pro-lifers like Vicki:

Can you provide some clarity to the Pepsi/cells from aborted babies controversy. I cannot sort out whether this is valid or not.

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat A panel of three judges on the Fifth District Court of Appeals has overturned a restraining order which prevented Texas’ sonogram law from fully taking effect. The law required an abortionist to show women considering an abortion their ultrasound and describe it. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks had […]

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat USA Today, CNN and MSNBC covered last night’s abortion forum in Iowa: Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Iowa polls, won the biggest applause from the crowd tonight – and aimed his remarks at his competitors. “I have some problems with some of the folks who running […]

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat The Chicago Tribune has investigated Illinois’ abortion reporting and found it to be filled with gaps: Health care providers are failing to detail abortion complications to the state as required by law, one of many gaps in a surveillance system viewed as crucial to protecting patients, a Tribune […]

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat Delaware officials continue to investigate the abortion clinic where abortionist Kermit Gosnell worked. Abortionist Alberto Dworkin’s emergency license suspension has been lifted. A Korean institute wants to use non-frozen embryos to obtain embryonic stem cells.

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat According to a poll of Russians, 41% of the country favors a complete abortion ban, up from 8% in 1998. Another 25% of the country only approves of “therapeutic” abortions. At ABC News, Susan Donaldson James has another piece (her last one was a weakly veiled piece promoting […]

by JivinJ, host of the blog, Weekly Standard interviewed Bart Stupak on abortion and health care reform. Stupak isn’t down with trusting the Senate to fix the abortion language at a later stage: “Everyone’s going around saying there’s a compromise – there’s no such thing,” Stupak said. What’s changed between this week and last, Stupak […]