Message re-routed to the RFF mailing list Jan 18, 2002 by David Brin

To: Greg Benford, brin,howard, george.slusser
From: "Joseph D. Miller Ph.D."
Subject: new uproar

Good friends,

I am writing you in the hope that you will be willing to help in an issue
of great importance both to the science and sf communities. It seems a
Bioethics Panel has been convened by the Bush administration, under Leon
Kass. This panel has been charged with considering issues surrounding
embryonic stem cell research. It consists of an 18 member panel, with heavy
conservative representation. The very first thing this panel did was to
read  Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "The Birthmark." This is a story of a
scientist who tries to remove a birthmark from his otherwise perfect wife
and ends up killing her. Various Luddite remarks have been made with
references to baby manufacturing, "Brave New World" of course(but not
Island!) etc. I'll send the LA Times story to anyone who hasn't seen it.

I feel this is not just an attack on stem cell biology, but on all of
science. However, an opportunity may have presented itself here.
I can think of no literature except sf which has actually considered in
any serious way the implications of technological advances. We have a "More
Than Human" for every "Blood Music" so I don't think we can be accused of
any more bias than anyone else. Clearly what these people need is a reading
list. And it doesn't really matter if the panelists read any sf or not, as
long as we get the message out to the public that yes, there is a
literature that has considered these issues for many years, in terms of
ethics, social repercussions etc. In fact, I think there should be an sf
person on this panel, but that is probably too much to ask.

What I would like from all of you is some suggestions for favorite stories
that tell the other side---what happens when technological and scientific
advances are suppressed by well-meaning technophobes. And stories from both
sides of genome manipulation might be relevant. I know George Turner's
stufff and the Greg Bear compendium of course.

Is there some way to get the SFWA involved? A press conference responding
to this stuff might help raise the sf profile as well as create a
counter-weight to these people. They have opened the door to a consideration 
of literature--we know damn well which literature is relevant.

Maybe we should send them the Eaton volume on sf and medical science (I
forget the actual title).

Anyway, your suggestions and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Joe
Dr. Joe Miller