I know it’s tough to believe, but we have caught another moralizing member of the Republican Party with his mouth full of lies.  This time, the culprit is Dave Weldon of Florida.

His victim is a woman named Susan Fajt, a resident of Austin, TX, who was paralyzed in November of 2001–three months after our president decided that we didn’t really need to pursue cures with embryonic stem cells.  On her own dime, she travelled to Portugal in June, 2003 for a treatment that involved using her own nasal mucosa . . . not adult stem cells. The results were not impressive–but Dave Weldon used her anyway.  What’s a “doctor” supposed to do when the  medical facts don’t fit the political agenda?  Sigh. Same as his president, I guess.  Make shit up!
http://weldon.house.gov/Photos/?PhotoID=20541

See, before she left for Portugal, Susan could stand up with braces and a walker. When she got home, she could still stand up with braces and a walker.

Here’s the funny part: last week when members of the Congress who oppose ESC research were having a press conference, Dave Weldon held up a picture of Susan Fajt and claimed, “This poster is of a young lady who was paralyzed for years and had an adult stem cell transplant. She is able to stand up.”

Problem is, she never had an adult stem cell transplant.  She had another kind of treatment, and her condition was not changed by that treatment.

On a message board for paralyzed people and their families that I frequent, someone happened to see that press conference on CSpan and posted about it here:
http://carecure.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=4754088921&f=3854088921&m=4981

01017&p=1

The very next day, our hero Dave Weldon was on CNN talking about this great new treatment with Miles O’Brien and Kyra Phillips. The “doctor” recommended to a high-level quadriplegic (former race car driver) that he go to Portugal for this surgery.  Dumbass!  That interview was seen by another member of the same paralyzed community.

Do you guys have any idea how fucking crazy it makes paralyzed people to hear these bastards talking through their asses about how the cure is already here, and they should just go and get it?  Most of the paralyzed people I know are far, far more educated on the latest promising therapies than their own doctors, much less the clowns who are actively lobbying to take away every chance of ever seeing those therapies come to the market.

Since then, there has been a lively conversation about how best to get “Dr.” Weldon’s dumbass lie out there for public consumption.

Can you guys help?  Please clean this post up and cross-post it wherever you like.  (A diary from me will not get a lot attention at DailyKos, but some of you can put it up and maybe get it seen . . . ) Newsweek can be drawn and quartered for a single sentence that is not strictly accurate . . . but a US Congressman can go on national television, make shit up, use a disabled woman to add weight to his airheaded arguments, and no one will raise a flag.  

Unless we make them.

Here’s a copy of what Susan had to say to Representative Weldon:

Dear Representative Weldon-

I am writing you today to respectfully but firmly insist on a well-publicized retraction of the statement you used to accompany an exhibit on C-span this week. The statement is below:

“This poster is of a young lady who was paralyzed for years and had an adult stem cell transplant. She is able to stand up.”

I am the young lady pictured on the poster to which you referred. My name is Susan Fajt.

The short sentence which offends me is full of inaccuracies.

  1. I went to Portugal for a cellular transplant involving my own nasal mucosal cells. There was NO “adult stem cell” transplantation involved.
  2. Although I am standing in the picture you referenced, it is only with the use of braces to stabilize my paralyzed legs. I could also do the same prior to the cellular transplant.
  3. My picture was used to support your stance of opposition to federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. I do not agree with your opposition to this funding and my likeness should not be used to defend your opinions.

I’m not sure of the legalities involved with such a use of my image. Perhaps such use is indeed legal; however it was also highly unethical and was offensive to me. I request an apology and a public retraction. This retraction must clarify the 3 points above.

Congressman Weldon, I’m playing in a game with high stakes. I need a cure for paralysis. If you want to use my image to justify a significant increase in research funding for adult stem cells, I can support that. I cannot be party to the use of my likeness to stop funding for a type of research because you find it to be morally repugnant. To my eyes, the use of blastocysts for medical research is less repugnant than the disposal of the same blastocycsts as medical waste.

On the embryonic stem cell issue, we may have to agree to disagree. Regarding your somewhat fraudulent use of my photo, I feel sure that you will appreciate my stance. I look forward to your immediate response, apology and retraction.

Sincerely,
Susan Fajt

Thanks!  Oh, yeah.  I want ESC research because I’m married to one of those paralyzed people.  Politics prevents the research that would make him well; it ain’t a game to me.

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