We’ve had a severe violation of the separation of church and state in the handling of what to do about this emerging technology. There are religious groups—the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I believe—who think it’s a sin to have a blood transfusion. Well, what if the president for some reason decided to listen to them, instead of to the Catholics, which is the group he really listens to in making his decisions about embryonic stem cell research? Where would we be with blood transfusions?
(From a September 2002 inteview with The Guardian.)
Let’s hope the Christian Scientists never get any influence over the State, either, since they believe in no treatment but prayer. The idea of having any medical procedure legislated against due to the idea that auditing would work is ludicrous. I hope it stays that way.
I’m fairly certain, though, that if you’d asked any average American around 1920 if he thought Catholic theology would be legislated in the US, he would have said NO.
In looking for information to verify the accuracy of the claim about Jehovah’s Witnesses and blood transfusions, I found it interesting that the JWs also opposed immunizations until 1952. At that time, they seem to have feared legal repercussions so much that they stopped recommending that members avoid vaccinations. Way to stick to your scriptural truth, guys!
