[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by Strangelet

lets start with the arguments employed by the bushistas. this from the bush press conference back in the day
In other words, his objective is to basically construct a hadrian's wall, a marginot line between our culture and the barbarians of sin. By drawing such a line, he's assuming that there exists a tipping point between medicine as a tool of humanism, and medicine as the harbinger of nihilism and a culture of reckless violence.

This argument appeals to a moral law of nature that its easier to commit greivous sin if previous sins of an equal or smaller magnitude have been committed in the past. IE the whole frog in the boiled water thingie.

What I find the most staggering is that this argument worked in redirecting the entire country's scientific endeavor at the expense of human suffering simply because it lead into the no man's land of "WHAT GOD THE LORD ON HIGH WANTS FROM HIS CHILDREN AS MANIFEST TO GEORGE W BUSH." That little underlying premise, that God hates embryo destruction for medical purposes, seemed to be just taken for granted.

I suppose its the nature of the beast when atheists are asked to refute religious arguments in public policy. The point is you have to go there, and do so in religious, ethical language. Especially when there's so many examples in history where these moon bats have drawn lines in much more odious places.

and

so basically when it comes to the suffering of human beings, I think its important to follow the line of reasoning and ask, even in polite circles, who the fuck are you anyway to know what God wants?

I've always loved a good spa treatment. Too.