March for Science - let's take a poll

Science is one of the greatest endeavors women and men have ever engaged in.   Objective efforts to discover the incredible complexity and beauty of the universe have been nothing less than breathtaking in the advancements from space to the smallest building blocks of life.  Science is good but science overly mixed with politics and misleading information can be very bad.  We need to trust the objective integrity of science vs forcing people to parse the information given to yield an ideological result.  I think it has been a step back for science with scientists and non-scientists alike simply ask questions or want to verify the results.  When scientists are mocked, censured and punished for introducing information or even debate into what should be a robust discussion on important issues, it looks more like winning at all costs vs science- even when you feel really strong about the answer you believe to be true.

This weekend, there were many dedicated people around the country that marched for science and may that marched for more political reasons.  The scientific focus was on protecting the Earth, especially from the potential of man-made climate change factors.  It is not arrogant to believe that more information and less ignorance is better and critical to achieving the important objective of caring for the Earth.  There may be a lot of marchers that believe they are more educated and informed than the ignorance masses and that scientific information should guide our actions vs political or emotional factors.  Science is the answer.

So here is my poll to everyone that marched this weekend.  How many of you apply the same standard of using serious science to your position on abortion?  Medical science clearly tells us when life begins and that that life is human life.  At no other point in the process after conception does the fetus become living or human.  Fetus is not a term for something that is not yet human or living, but a medical term for a stage of development for someone that is already a living human being – and that process of development will continue long after birth.  No human being can decide when a new life has begun, but objective science can and human dignity and compassion should recognize our responsibility to protect that innocent human life. 

Ignorance is not good but science based on group-think and politics can be dangerous.   If you really believe in science, don’t be afraid to ask questions and look at the facts.  The truth will always be the more compassionate goal.