Fraud Busters or the Politics of Convenience?
Frankly speaking the outrage from those opposed to all forms of embryonic stem cell research (as well as IVF) is to put it mildly beyond hypocritical. They say they are horrified by the occurance of fraud in South Korean. Well is it really fraud that is horrifying them or simply the opportunity to take a cheap shot at all stem cell research? I suspect that latter.Richard Scrushy of the good old USA has caused incalculable harm to real people, stolen tens of millions of dollars for personal gain, and brought a company upon which millions of Americans depend for their health care to its knees by means of --FRAUD! Yet his actions have elicited no comment in the pages of the National Review, the neo-con blogs, or the Weekly Standard. Could it be that corporate tycoon Scrushy's firm embrace of evangelical Christianity makes him a less appealing target for moral approbation than a South Korean veterinarian?
The politics of stem cell research remains as ever incredible to observe!
- Art Caplan
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Oh, dear. I don't think Art understands the meaning of the word "hypocritical."
Sloppy thinking and sloppy writing seem to go together, Art. And your willingness to say that others are taking "cheap shots" while taking your own is, if not hypocritical, then certainly incredible to observe.
- by Thomas on Dec 30, 2005 at 11:26 AM | link
In their zeal to find hypocrisy in those they evidently consider their opponents, the editors (still) don't "get it."
The objection to embryonic research is the intentional killing of (or placing in harm's way) human beings at the earliest stages of life and the commodification of both women's bodies and the new humans'.
- by Beverly on Dec 30, 2005 at 11:31 AM | link
Whoops - I keep forgetting that Dr. Caplan is not an "editor."
- by Beverly on Dec 30, 2005 at 11:37 AM | link
I understand the meaning of hypocrisy very well--it has been on flagrant display in some quarters ever since Hwang's fraudulent house of cards collapsed.
To use an individual scientist's fraud to impugn an entire field of science is --hypocrisy. If those who say they care about fraud in science mean it then let them get after all fraud--but they do not.
- by Art Caplan on Dec 30, 2005 at 3:40 PM | link
The fraud is the ideology that discriminates against human lives.
- by Beverly on Dec 31, 2005 at 12:36 AM | link
Eh, Scrushy isn't a shiny target in an idealistic war. I doubt his religious leanings have anything to do with it; rather, it's that his actions cannot be closely tied to anything that will encourage feelings of persecution, or galvanize folks towards a moral war.
Which, of course, paints a very broad picture of those who're opposed to all forms of ESCR. There are folks out there who have solidly formed opinions on the subject that disagree with it and aren't raving religious loons... it's just easier to talk in terms of absolute sides.
- by Kelly Hills on Jan 1, 2006 at 5:40 AM | link