Superman star would come to UK for stem cell treatment
Christopher Reeve says he would visit Britain for treatment if controversial stem cell research banned in the US is given the go-ahead.
He says a 'progressive' UK approach could find a cure for his damaged spine.
A House of Lords select committee is due to rule this week on proposed British regulations that would permit stem cell research under strict licence.
Reeve said in a radio interview: "I would go to the UK, I would go anywhere in the world for therapy that is safe and could accomplish the goal of recovery."
The 49-year-old said that without the research he would "more than likely" spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, following a riding accident seven years ago.
Stem cells are the body's so-called master cells, that are developed in the first days of an embryo's life, and have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body.
Pro-life campaigners have criticised the research because the cells are obtained either from human embryos, sometimes taken from an abortion clinic, or from a cloned embryo, in a procedure known as therapeutic cloning.
The US House of Representatives voted to ban all human cloning, including therapeutic cloning, last year. The US Senate is to debate the issue next month.
But Reeve said the scientists are now able to remove stem cells from embryos that are "not real" because they are not fertilised.
"The pro-life lobby has nothing to fear, because we are not talking about destroying lives," he continued. "Even if you believe that life begins at the moment of fertilisation of a sperm and an egg, that is not required for this line of research.
"Scientists do not need to use fertilised embryos, so I cannot understand what the objection is." He added that he hoped the House of Lords "will take the time to understand what the technology actually is, and to recognise it has nothing to do with destroying life".
