As US presidential primaries draw nearer, candidates seek to position themselves as very caring politicians. First it was healthcare, and now it is stem cell research.

On Friday Hillary Rodham Clinton was joined by ten-year-old Alex Walter with Type 1diabetes and Laura Clark paralyzed since a car crash three years ago.

Together they appealed at a meeting in New Hampshire for more funds for stem cell research, a move resisted by President Bush.

Steve Walter, father of Alex, said he is a registered Republican but supports Clinton because he is frustrated with the Bush administration's stance on stem cell research. His son has endured 10 to 12 blood tests a day and about 100 insulin injections a month since being diagnosed at age 4.

"This is not a religious issue," he said. "It's really about a little boy who's 10 years old, and another 100 million Americans who could benefit from this research."

Laura Clark’s mother, Kathleen, also a Republican, said her daughter's experience has been life-shattering for the family. But she also made a practical appeal, noting the billions spent on people with chronic spinal cord injuries. Even modest advances through stem cell research — allowing quadriplegics to regain the use of their hands — would lead to a significant savings in health care costs, she said.

Clinton said the administration's position was part of its general contempt for science and disregard of evidence in favor of ideology.