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Stem Cell Research Argumentative Essay

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During the presidency of George Bush, a ban was placed on stem cell research, due to pressure from pro-life groups. Bush states that the decision was not an easy one because he, just like many other Americans, was not well-versed on the subject matter during its early stages that began in 2001 (LifeNews, 2010). However, following Bush’s term as president, President Barack Obama lifted the ban, allowing for scientists to use stem cells for research. In this scientific controversy, the key actors are pro-life groups, scientists and policy makers who are under pressure to meet the demands of the people. Each group plays a significant role in this topic and each affects the decisions of stem cell research in a different way.
Pro-life groups play …show more content…

Jane Smith, is the low information rationality. This model states that whether we like it or not, or if we are educated or not, due to the limited time individuals have for learning new information, they use various shortcuts to understand information more efficiently. Greater scientific understanding, it is assumed, will ensure that the public makes ‘proper’ judgments about science if they understand the topic. This problem is also associated with the idea that people are cognitive misers, meaning they use as little information as possible to make a decision. Individuals often take shortcuts, which in turn becomes a powerful information replacement for complex science or policy options. This reasoning is offered not only in the context of the stem cell debate, but has been voiced relative to many scientific controversies. A common theme amongst public discussions is the matter that there are low levels of public knowledge across policy matters. According to Matthew Nisbet (2005), “past research indicates that it is more likely that the public by nature is ‘miserly’, with individuals relying on their value predispositions and only the information most readily available to them from the mass media and other sources in order to formulate an opinion about science

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