In 2011 , he published '' My Father at 100 : A Memoir '' . In interviews promoting the book , Reagan described noticing his father was having certain mental lapses which , in hindsight , caused the younger Reagan to speculate subsequently that his father may have already been in the early stages of Alzheimer 's disease while still in office . This assertion was attacked by critics , including his brother , Michael Reagan . Ron Reagan subsequently clarified that he did not feel the lapses were evidence of " dementia . " In July 2004 , Reagan spoke at the Democratic National Convention about his support for lifting Bush 's restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research , from which he expected a cure or new treatments for Alzheimer 's disease , of which his father had recently died . " There are those who would stand in the way of this remarkable future , who would deny the federal funding so crucial to basic research . A few of these folks , needless to say , are just grinding a political axe and they should be ashamed of themselves , " Ron Reagan said of the restrictions . " We can choose between the future and the past , between reason and ignorance , between true compassion and mere ideology . " Reagan 's mother Nancy also supported this position
Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
Ron Reagan