CGS-authored
Missouri voters are being asked whether an issue before them would kill cloned human embryos or cure the world of disease.
At least that's what they're being asked in the notoriously oversimplified world of political ads, where differing views are presented as polar opposites, and candidates are portrayed as crooks or saints.
In the case of a statewide ballot measure on stem-cell research, voters face a tug of war between those who argue for the sanctity of unborn life, and those who tout the promises of potential cures.
But in reality, say ethicists and scientists, the alternatives aren't so clear-cut.
In reality, voters are being asked to apply ancient definitions of life to the outer frontiers of science. They're being asked to supply a moral judgment today on research that won't take place until tomorrow, if it ever takes place at all.
They're being asked to declare certainty on an issue that divides people of the same faith, splitting even those who otherwise lock arms on the issue of abortion.
"I do sympathize with voters at this point in the...
At least that's what they're being asked in the notoriously oversimplified world of political ads, where differing views are presented as polar opposites, and candidates are portrayed as crooks or saints.
In the case of a statewide ballot measure on stem-cell research, voters face a tug of war between those who argue for the sanctity of unborn life, and those who tout the promises of potential cures.
But in reality, say ethicists and scientists, the alternatives aren't so clear-cut.
In reality, voters are being asked to apply ancient definitions of life to the outer frontiers of science. They're being asked to supply a moral judgment today on research that won't take place until tomorrow, if it ever takes place at all.
They're being asked to declare certainty on an issue that divides people of the same faith, splitting even those who otherwise lock arms on the issue of abortion.
"I do sympathize with voters at this point in the...
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