Summary
Title: Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America
Author: Yvonne Perry
Publisher: Nightengale Press
ISBN: 1933449411
Pro:
• Lots of scientific and religious information gathered together
• Not too academic and technical
• Extensive bibliography so you can do further research
Con:
• Information is available elsewhere
Description:
• Analysis of political and religious arguments against stem cell research
• Provides detailed information on what stem cell research really is
• Argues that stem cell research is more than justified
Book Review
Debates over stem cell research aren't even an entirely political issue anymore. Although opposition tends to come from conservative Republicans while support tends to come from liberal and moderate Democrats, there are nevertheless many moderate and conservative Republicans who support the research. It's the far-right religious ideologues who are pushing against stem cell research, and they exist in large enough numbers to create significant pressure on the Republican Party. This, in turn, has been the primary reason why stem cell research is lagging behind in America.
It's very important that people in America become better educated about what stem cell research is and is not. Of course, it would be better if Americans became better educated about science and technology generally, given how important they are to our world, but this is especially true when it comes to importance of stem cell research. There is a lot of misinformation and very technical information out there, but one book which people can start with if they need a basic primer is Yvonne Perry's Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America.
Perry is neither scientist nor a theologian, but she has done her homework on both scientific and religious matters in order to help readers navigate through the overwhelming amount of information available. Perry's basic thesis is that stem cell research should never have become the subject of so much debate and disagreement. There are neither good scientific nor good religious grounds for such strong objections to the research, thus Perry hopes to dispel many of the myths and misunderstandings that have developed.
There are advantages and disadvantages to Perry's approach. To be perfectly honest, there is little in here that can't be obtained with a bit of time and effort on the internet. This isn't a book of original research, after all, so you don't get here anything that you can't get elsewhere. At the same time, though, do you really want to spend a lot of time gathering this information if someone has already done the work for you? This is especially true for those who aren't as skilled with using the internet and who thus can't as easily locate the information.
Yvonne Perry is undeniably biased in her approach. This is not a neutral investigation into stem cell research which ends up supporting the project, but is instead a book with an agenda that is stated clearly right from the beginning. This doesn't mean that the book isn't very informative, though. Anyone who reads it should know more at the end than they did at the beginning, so whatever their final opinion is it will at least be an informed opinion rather than one determined by the loudest ideological rhetoric.
