Sex, Science, and Stem Cells

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 272 pages
• Published by: The Lyons Press August 4, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1599214318
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1599214313
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1 pounds

--Daily Camera

"Congresswoman DeGette provides an explosive, first-hand account of how the right-wing has manipulated public policy on issues ranging from choice, reproduction, and stem cell research for pure political gain. Her compilation of experiences from inside the halls of Congress reveal how sound-science and scientific evidence have been ignored for far too long. Everyone should read Congresswoman DeGette's book and learn from it."

--Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 

"Congresswoman Diana DeGette's Sex, Science, and Stem Cells: Inside the Right Wing Assault on Reason is a clarion call to restore sanity to the public process of protecting the sexual and reproductive health of all Americans.  DeGette writes eloquently against the senseless and hazardous anti-woman agenda of the Bush administration and exposes the political mythologies that jeopardize the health of the American family — from dangerous abstinence-only programs to bans on vital stem cell research.  She is a voice of reason in this ongoing debate."Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America 

“This probing philosophical work exposes the politicization of science by the right wing in the U.S. Congress and the heavy influence of the religious right.An important book on an important topic.”

--Daily Camera

 

Product Description

In August 2001, President George W. Bush announced with fanfare that federal funds would be made available to scientists conducting research on human embryonic stem cell lines—with restrictions. Reading his words, not his lips, was Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado’s First Congressional District, and what she read was this: a ban. “As a practical matter,” scientists could no longer pursue such work “in any lab that had received any federal funding, at any time, for any reason. That one declaration severely constrained stem-cell research in this country.”

In Sex, Science, and Stem Cells, Congress’s leading advocate of stem-cell research presents a blistering indictment of the politicization of science—and sex—by the Bush administration, the Republican leadership, and the religious right. Addressing not only stem-cell research but also birth control, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, abortion, and sex education, Congresswoman DeGette takes the Bush White House and its fundamentalist allies to task for subverting any real discussion of human sexuality and reproduction.

DeGette writes from experience—and hard-earned frustration. During fifteen years in office, her fight for sound public policy for ethical, cutting-edge scientific research has consistently been foiled. Pulling no punches in her scrutiny of a Republican leadership that has long shirked matters relating even remotely to human sexuality, she concludes that many of America’s elected officials are simply too blinded by religious dogma to think rationally about sex. In Sex, Science, and Stem Cells, she dares to do what they can’t, or won’t—opening the door to responsible, fact-based legislation going forward.

Reader Reviews
Denver Congresswoman Diana DeGette says teen-age pregnancies are up this year for the first time in many, many years. Sex-education programs that stress abstinence correlate with a high pregnancy rate - significantly higher than comprehensive programs that teach sexual physiology, birth control, and how to prevent disease. Unfortunately, the sexual repression ethic sometimes overwhelms common sense in our school boards. This brings us to the Congressional attitude about sex - any open discussion about it sends them into hiding. Fortunately, with a popular issue such as stem cell research, Congress is braver. Led by Representation DeGette, Congress overwhelmingly passed stem cell research bills two years in a row, only to have them vetoed by the president. The anti-science bias of the Bush administration has struck frequently. To be fair, he probably is not specifically anti-science, but his religious and business agendas are often not consistent with mainstream scientific findings. His administration opposes financing birth control, including condoms, but pays for Viagra. Bush appointed two people to direct the Office Family Planning who oppose birth control (can you imagine that?). Other Bush appointees killed easy access to the morning-after pill and the human papilloma virus vaccine - the prevention for cervical cancer. He approved $15 billion for the fight against HIV worldwide, but the vast majority of the money goes to Christian organizations that preach abstinence and will not distribute condoms. Go figure. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a Republican politician to be moderate about this (or any other) party issue. If they oppose the fundamentalist part of the party, they run the risk of being seen as disloyal. In the typical example of party discipline, an extreme right-wing, well-funded candidate shows up in their district to run against them. McCain, to his credit, is for all types of stem-cell research (an easy place to be disloyal), but on votes relating to federal employees' health coverage and medically accurate pregnancy prevention programs, he caves to the fundamental wing of the party. His voting record on sex and reproductive issues is pre-historic. DeGette's book advocates sensible science-based policies relating to sex and reproduction. The following chapters are presented: 1. Where I Stand 2. The Bubble Bill 3. Ms. DeGette Goes to Washington 4. Charting the Course 5. Francesca (DeGette's daughter has diabetes) 6. Angels Dancing on the Head of a Pin 7. Snowflake Babies (Bush's veto ceremony) 8. Send in the Clones 9. Abstinence Only 10. Whatever it is, I'm Against It 11. An Ounce of Prevention 12. "Through No Fault on Anybody's Part" 13. A Foolish Consistency This book presents what happens when religion is allowed to trump science in govenment. Very few of our legislators have a science background. Most of them have been educated in the humanities - a good thing, but not helpful in evaluating scientific issues. A group which tried to organize a debate about positions in science amongst the presidential candidates is SEA - Scientists and Engineers of America. You can easily find them on the internet. For a more comprehensive treatise on just how anti-science Bush has been, see Chris Mooney's "The Republican War on Science."