Sex, Science, and Stem Cells: Inside the Right Wing Assault on Reason

By Diana DeGette

Book Overview

In this book, 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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599214318
• ISBN13: 9781599214313
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: UNKNO
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

An excellent insider story

Congresswoman Diana DeGette has written an interesting, lively book on the fight between the right wing and the left on issues such as stem cell research, abstinence-only programs and the availability of Plan B to women in the military. Make no mistake, her book is not a balanced view of the facts, it is a passionately written expose told exclusively from her point of view in the fight, but what a point of view it is. From the view of an insider, this book is full of fascinating stories of just how things get done in congress and at times it is amusing, others frustrating. It reads much like a biography, starting with Ms. Degette's turn in the Colorado legislature and follows her up to early 2008, detailing her struggles and views along the way. Whether you agree or not with her opinions (particularly on cloning), this books is a great look at the inside world of congress, including a different side of the "snowflake babies veto" (I always did wonder what that was about), and answers questions about why the Bush administration continued to uphold the stem cell research ban despite public support to the contrary. Some would argue that Ms. Degette has written a book to champion her own efforts in congress, and I would say: of course she has. She has been pushing her causes for years and of course her book is going to support her opinion on the cause. However, if you take the time to check out the details of her book, despite not including sources (which is why I didn't give this book 5 stars), you can easily verify the scientific facts that she cites and the congressional records that she sources. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone. It probably won't convince you otherwise if you strongly feel that her opinion is wrong, but it will give anyone a view into the workings of our government that will stay in your mind long after you have put the book down.

A great read for those who seek to best understand the Bush Administration's religious policies

Stem Cell research can bring many benefits to humanity, but many stand against it for religious reasons, including the Bush Administration. "Sex, Science, and Stem Cells: Inside the Right Wing Assault on Reason" is an argument that the right wing of American Politics is blinded by religion and is therefore preventing reason and medical science's advance through lack of support and wrongful bans. DeGette has been involved in Congress for more than fifteen years, and makes her case and tells her story of frustration. "Sex, Science, Stem Cells" is a great read for those who seek to best understand the Bush Administration's religious policies.

Stem Cell Research

The book has a good development of the current status of stem cell research, the problems and opportunities available as we move forward. In December, 1994, an Executive Order set boundaries on creating human embryos. According to Harriet Rabb-General Counsel, stem cells aren't within the statutory exclusionary definition of an embroyo. Scientists can create plurpotent cells which are scientifically engineered stem cells for diabetes patients. President George Bush discussed new treatments with moral boundaries aimed at keeping the research on ethical and moral high ground. The idea of cloning raises red flags . This is an excellent volume for readers interested in stem cell issues and current research.

To be honest I was horrified

I could not put this book down. I found this work by Diana DeGette to be an excellent, clearly written easy to read view of specific aspects of the workings of Congress and the Senate. In particular Diana DeGette provides the reader with a solid insight to the realities and challenges associated with passing legislation and driving intelligent discussion using facts and logic within government circles. In so doing she exposes the extent to which these processes are hampered by opinion driven and uninformed personal world views. Also she demonstrates through easy to follow examples, the extent to which extremist special interest groups hamper changes which the average rational person will see as purely benevolent. No doubt her specific subject matter will be controversial particularly in the U.S. as she focuses on sex and reproductive issues. Her approach however, is reason and fact based and oriented to achieving changes for the greater good. To be honest I was horrified to learn the extent to which America and indirectly the rest of the world is manipulated by a relative small number of people and organizations who have at the top of their priorities imposing their personal values on the rest of us and here's the thing, they do this regardless of what the facts show and the extent to which their views negatively impact the lives of literally millions of people. Diana DeGette's approach is to narrate a personal journey describing the surprising impact her professional accomplishments have made on her personal life, how she has dealt with them and with some of "life's curve balls" specifically when her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and the impact that made to her motivations. If you consider yourself a rational person, i.e. someone who can be swayed by facts. If you want to learn more about what really goes on in congress and the process of creating bills for improving peoples lives. If you would like a solid insight into the biases of Congress people, Senators and the even The President. If you are generally interested in the specific subject matter, birth control, abortion, HIV/AIDS, sex education, religion and government. Then this book is for you. If you have already made up your mind. If you are not interested in facts and the result of scientific studies if they do not support your established opinions. If you are interested in the welfare of people only if you can also control their world view, religion and or and the way they choose to live their lives. Then this book in not for you.

"Be Fruitful And Multiply"

Denver Congresswoman Diana DeGette says teen-age pregnancies are up this year for the first time in 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 generous, he probably is not specifically anti-science, but his religious and business agendas so consistently clash with mainstream scientific findings, he looks anti-science. 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. DeGette's book advocates sensible science-based policies relating to sex and reproduction, presenting 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. For a more comprehensive treatise on just how anti-science Bush has been, see Chris Mooney's "The Republican War on Science."