2 of 3

Either way, despite years of hype, the aggressive support of most editorialists, and an often contemptuous disregard for the moral scruples of those of us who have objected, the American people are far from being convinced that "therapeutic cloning" is the way of the future.

By the way, the poll also asked people about evolution and intelligent design. Just for the record, only 15 percent believed that only evolution should be taught in public schools, while 73 percent thought that either intelligent design, creationism, or a combination of them and evolution should be offered.

Alarm bells for the science establishment
It is widely assumed that Americans are uncritically "pro-science" and that possessing the most powerful technology in the world makes it hard for us to ask hard questions about where science is taking us—and what its values are. Yet, partly as a result of the aggressive pro-cloning, pro-stem-cell research, and pro-evolution views of so many scientists and their organizations, the poll reveals deep-seated ambivalence on the part of many people.

While 85 percent believe that developments in science have helped to make society better (I wonder why that was not 100 percent; how can anyone disagree?), as many as 56 percent (versus 37 percent) agree that "scientific research doesn't pay enough attention to the moral values of society," and 52 percent (versus 41 percent) actually agree with the statement that "scientific research has created as many problems for society as solutions." These numbers should set alarm bells ringing in the science establishment—which is ultimately entirely dependent on two factors: public funding through the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and other federal bodies; and the market for biotechnology and other products. Both of these depend on the support of the people, and well over half of them are now very skeptical of science.

And also …

In a fascinating article in the San Francisco Chronicle, science writer Carl T. Hall draws a scary connection between the movement for embryonic stem-cell research and the eugenics movement of the early 20th century in California. Eugenics was the idea, finally discredited only due to the horrors of Hitler's Germany, that we should use an animal breeding approach (including compulsory sterilization) to encourage the genetically well-endowed to have children and to discourage or prevent those with inherited genetic weaknesses from bearing children.

The full awfulness of the eugenic movement (which captured the imagination of politicians, editorialists, and liberal religious leaders alike, just as stem cells have) needs to be seen to be believed. California State University at Sacramento has pulled some of these materials together, and they are depressingly well worth reading. (If you want the full pictorial scoop on eugenics in America, the eugenics archive offers a treasure trove of disturbing images and facts.)

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Previous Life Matters columns include:

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page

October (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49