Photo by Corbis
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Nancy’s Stand
By Wil S. Hylton, September-October 2003
As Alzheimer’s ravages her husband’s mind, the former first lady wages a stealth campaign to open the gates of stem cell research
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Editor's Note
This article was originally published in the September-October 2003 issue of AARP The Magazine. In recognition of the death of President Reagan, we offer this article again to our readers as a reminder of Nancy Reagan's pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's and other diseases.
Most people don't think of Nancy Reagan as a rabble-rouser. Few would put her
in the category of fiery first ladies, with Hillary and Eleanor and Abigail.
She was always more of the demure type, subdued in the shadow of her husband.
We picture her at the '81 inauguration, poised beside her Ronnie in a little
red Adolfo suit, with her shoulders pricked up, her face tilted deferentially
downward, smiling with her mouth closed. That was the image Nancy projected:
silent and mannered, proper and discreet. Even on the occasions when she did
speak in public, it was never about an issue of much debate. Who among us doesn't
support breast cancer research? Who objects when children "just say no"
to drugs? Certainly nobody on either side of the Congressional aisle—and her
public agenda seemed careful to avoid controversy.
So it came as some surprise when the former first lady threw her weight into
the political battle over stem cell research two years ago, positioning herself
in favor of experiments on human embryos and against the Bush Administration's
severe regulation of them. Suddenly, Mrs. R had a voice of her own, and it wasn't
reciting the party line. In fact, by rejecting the argument that embryos have
a right to life, she even seemed to challenge her husband's opposition to abortion.
Not that she was eager to say anything so brash in front of a television camera;
on the contrary, as she conveyed to me recently through a spokesperson, she
doesn't have the time or inclination for public grandstanding. Her life is consumed
these days by the care of her husband, whose Alzheimer's has become so severe
that he no longer seems to recognize her.
Still, somewhere between his shadow and the spotlight, Mrs. Reagan planted
her feet and took a stand, and in a series of carefully placed phone calls and
high-level meetings, she has promoted her case relentlessly, pressuring lawmakers
to enact legislation that would encourage embryonic stem cell research. By doing
so, activists say, she has quickly become one of the most important sub rosa
advocates of the science.
"Mrs. Reagan's support demonstrates that this issue is not about ideology,
but about helping find cures and treatments," says Senator Dianne Feinstein
(D-California), who has been a vocal proponent of the research.
Those who oppose the research are somewhat disheartened by the former first
lady's commitment. "It's unfortunate that Mrs. Reagan feels this way,"
says Tara Seyfer of the Culture of Life Foundation. "It's inconsistent
with the things that she and her husband have stood for."
 
But a closer look at Mrs. Reagan's life reveals a pattern of backstage maneuvering,
sometimes for causes that were more liberal than you might expect. During her
husband's administration, in particular, she wielded an unseen power that rivaled
the influence of even the most active first ladies. From her position at the
president's side, she encouraged major cabinet and staff changes, including
the departures of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and CIA Director William
Casey. She encouraged him to install more moderate thinkers in the brain trust
and controlled critical decisions about the administration's schedule and public
relations, reportedly placing a three-month moratorium on her husband's public
appearances during the Iran-Contra scandal. In many ways, she also functioned
as the president's most intimate counsel, providing, as he once wrote, "the
light of understanding to [my] darkened, obtuse mind." And if her quiet
wisdom gave Mr. Reagan a safe haven from the political arena, he gave her access
to it, providing her with a back door for her opinions to enter the public sphere.
As she revealed in her 1989 autobiography, My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan
(Random House), "For eight years I was sleeping with the president, and
if that doesn't give you special access, I don't know what does! I gave Ronnie
my best advice whenever he asked for it, and sometimes when he didn't."
Now that access is gone, however. With Mr. Reagan's departure from the national
stage, Mrs. Reagan can no longer rely on his natural eloquence to convey her
point of view to the public. So it may have been inevitable that, one day, fired
up by an opinion and eager to express it, she would reach out to elected officials,
reentering the national conversation and securing a place once again to influence
public policy. Especially if she believed that her influence might save others
from her husband's plight.
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