.
It is also clear that the current administration in Washington, D.C. is not so much considering the ethical, legal and moral implications of genome/stem cell research, but rather is attempting to mold the scientific method to its own preconceptions. The conduct of the Bush administration in regard to science is appalling on many fronts. The most egregious example of this concerns the Bush administration's dropping of "renowned cell biologist-and proponent of embryonic stem-cell research-Elizabeth Blackburn from the President's Council on Bioethics, in favor of Diana Schaub, a political scientist who believes cloning to be 'evil'" (Washington Monthly, 2004, p. 14+). The same publication noted that the White House habitually fills appointments to scientific bodies with "political appointees willing to disregard or manipulate fact when it doesn't comport with ideology" (Washington Monthly, 2004, p. 14+). That they should have done so for so controversial a subject as stem cell/genome research is not surprising; the White House had already caused the reworking of a Health and Human Services (HHS) report to "downplay" information concluding that there is racially based disparity in health care delivery in the United States. In a blatant disregard for science, the female population, public sentiment and ethical conduct, recently the Food and Drug Administration postponed their approval for over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive known as 'Plan B,' despite findings from the agency's scientific advisory panel that the pill is safe and effective" (Washington Monthly, 2004, p. 14+). Food and Drug's committee on reproductive health is chaired by anti-abortion activist W. David Hager. (It is worth noting that while any chairperson might hold one or the other view regarding abortion, the Hager appointment is unsupportable on two counts; he is not simply a man who holds his own beliefs regarding an issue with no clear-cut right or wrong, but rather a man who attempts to force his view on others as if they were facts and not beliefs.
Continue reading this essay Continue reading
Page 2 of 7