EDITORIAL

‘Follow the Science,’ but with proper qualifications

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In dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, many of our civil leaders have urged us to “follow the science.” So have many doctors and health care workers. This past July, for example, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association released a public service announcement urging all of our citizens to “ask questions, follow the science and get vaccinated.”
With the proper qualifications, the recommendation is a good one. The findings of scientific research should certainly be considered when formulating public policy for our country. The problem is, however, that many of those who tell us to “follow the science” when it comes to dealing with COVID-19, completely ignore the science when it comes to other important issues. For example, science has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that human life begins at the moment of conception. Genetics, in particular, has made this clear. Yet many of those in public life — including some who claim to be “devout Catholics” — turn a blind eye to this indisputable truth.
The same is true of other issues like transgenderism. Biology teaches that if you have an XY chromosome you’re male, and if you have an XX chromosome you’re female. There is no scientific basis for the existence of 50 or more “genders.”
Those in public life who ignore science in ways like these do so either out of ignorance or hypocrisy. Either they don’t know the science (even though they easily could), or they do know what the science says and they simply choose to ignore it. In either case, it’s a clear and tangible sign of bad leadership.