Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn Was An Outspoken Opponent Of Bush’s Politicization Of Science
Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn Was An Outspoken Opponent Of Bush’s Politicization Of Science
Yesterday, three American scientists — Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak — were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to the study of cell biology in a way that positively impacts our understanding of cancer and aging.
One of the stories not being covered about the Nobel winners is that one of them, Australian-American researcher Elizabeth Blackburn, played a “brave role” in exposing the Bush administration’s anti-science policies, particularly with respect to blocking embryonic stem cell research.
Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack, Blackburn was appointed a member of the “President’s Council of Bioethics,” the body charged with “advising the President on ethical issues related to advances in biomedical science and technology.” “Like everyone during that time, I wanted to do something, anything,” she told the press.
An “outspoken advocate” for embryonic stem cell research, Blackburn objected to President Bush’s position on the issue, which was to veto legislation that would have freed up federal funding for it. While the council is supposed to exist to provide a variety of views to the President on a whole host of bioethics issues, Blackburn soon found that under the Bush administration, “scientific research…[was] being manipulated for political ends.”
Eventually, the Bush administration decided that it would no longer tolerate Blackburn’s dissent. On Feb. 27, 2004, the administration dismissed Blackburn and another dissident scientist, Dr. William May, from the council. Dean Clancy, the executive director of the council, maintained that politics had nothing to do with her dismissal, telling the press, “The charge that she was let go because of her policy views is utterly without merit.”
Yet scientists around the country were not convinced. Following her dismissal, more than 170 researchers sent an open letter to the President protesting the decision. Janet Rowley, University of Chicago medical professor and fellow council member, told USA Today that she agreed with the researchers that Blackburn was fired for her views, “Liz is an important example of the absolutely destructive practices of the Bush administration.”
For her part, Blackburn said that she didn’t “feel martyred.” Rather, she said she saw her dismissal as “a badge of honor.” Following her firing, she wrote a scathing indictment of her time on the council in the New England Annals of Medicine, writing that science should be “protected from the influence of politics“:
As a naturalized citizen of the United States, I have an immigrant’s love for my country. But our country must not fail us. Scientific advice should and must be protected from the influence of politics. Will the President’s Council on Bioethics be up to that challenge?
Blackburn will receive one-third of the $1.4 million prize granted to the trio of researchers. She is the first Australian woman to ever win the Nobel Prize.
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How can one politicize something that he doesn’t believe in?
October 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pmRight on.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:15 pmDean Clancy, the executive director of the council, maintained that politics had nothing to do with her dismissal, telling the press, “The charge that she was let go because of her policy views is utterly without merit.”
We believe that because Bush would have never manipulated the government. And I have a bridge to sell.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pmSee what happens when a person eschews the narrow mindedness of conservatism…
…they get awarded a Nobel prize.
‘Nuff said.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:22 pmGeorge says – Hehehe, I’m the decidering guy, and I did the decidering about them thar science stuff, the president does the decidering about that stuff, no one else, them scientists don’t read the bible, the bible tells you all the science you need to know…man walking with dinosaurs, Adam and Eve…Moses, Noah…hey wait, if God flooded the earth and killt everything, then man is the descendant of Noah, not Adam and Eve…mmmm, see there’s some science for yah, God destroyed the earth and I almost did, yet here I am, FREE as a BIRD, killed thousands, no problem, tortured hundred, not gonna pay for that either, crimes, ha, I sleep real good at night knowing that I’ve got the science of no paying for my crimes at all….what you say Dick?
Dick says – I need fresh blood from cute kittens and puppies.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:23 pmYay, you go, Elizabeth Blackburn.
Kind of gives me a headache though. I hated having to watch Shrub’s politicization of the sciences, and Dr. Blackburn’s story is a reminder of that bit of nastiness.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:23 pm@ 6. Furthermore, I do think it’s great that the Nobel Committee has made the award to the people it did. It is, essentially a refutation of the aforementioned politiciztion of science and bio-medical research.
Give the righties a chance though and we’ll be straight back to the dark ages and a flat earth.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:27 pmDoes anyone know if Dean Clancy has been interviewed on this?
October 6th, 2009 at 12:27 pmIron birds criss-cross sky
October 6th, 2009 at 12:28 pmDinosaur spirits whisper
Cave-man president
As a naturalized citizen of the United States, I have an immigrant’s love for my country. … She is the first Australian woman to ever win the Nobel Prize.
– - Wingnuts across the country and especially at The Weekly Standard, roundly booed Ms. Blackburn.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:29 pmA well deserved award for a remarkable woman, standing up to political obstruction in her quest to find the keys to so many cures.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pmLet’s face it, Anyone who agrees with Bush on Anything will NEVER win the Nobel.
He’s been proven wrong about 100% of Everything.
I know we’re criticizing Thomas (and well we should), but Bush created a whole new class of stupidity.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pmThe Nobel Prize is one o’ them leftist librul awards. Like the Oscar.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:37 pmBlackburn’s Feb. 27 dismissal came little more than a week after the left-leaning Union of Concerned Scientists accused the Bush administration of distorting scientific findings and manipulating experts’ advice to avoid information that runs counter to its political beliefs.
The only scientists who are not left-leaning are the ones bought by corporations. To paraphrase Steven Colbert, science has a well-known liberal bias.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pmNow this is a story that I highly advocate. Someone who was willing to abandon politics in order to help. It’s a disappointment that her views had to be politicized in a negative light by conservative beliefs while she was trying to help others see the value of science.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pmralph the wonder llama says:
The Nobel Prize is one o’ them leftist librul awards. Like the Oscar.
I’m waiting for them to start saying this seriously. So many nobels have been awarded to the enemies of the right wing that they’re going to have to start complaining about it. It never occurs to them that their worldview is just anti-intelligent.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pmThey only were involved in the Politicization Of Science?
Could have fooled me…
…it seems the Bush team were involved in the Politicization of EVERYTHING.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pmPoetic Justice is sweet. Now Georgie is in his mansion, pretty much a pariah, and this woman is a Nobel Prize winner. Let’s see.. she joins Al Gore, Jimmy Carter.. You know, a lot of former Dems went on to great things. Can’t say much about the Repugs.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:49 pmShe has the courage of a lion.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:53 pmCongratulations, Ms Blackburn.
America welcomes you as a naturalized citizen!
You’re the type of person who helped make America great. We need more scientists and doctors who have the backbone to stand up to corrupt and outspoken politicians as you have demonstrated.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:53 pmAl Gore, Jimmy Carter, Elizabeth Blackburn…true American heroes.
ralph the wonder llama says:
The Nobel Prize is one o’ them leftist librul awards. Like the Oscar.
___________
Indeed, ralphie… indeed…
Perhaps this will annoy the righties so much, they’ll be compelled to create THEIR OWN award, to be awarded for outstanding conservative accomplishments…
And what would they call it?
The Rushie? In honor of Rush Limbaugh…
The Ronnie? In honor of Reagan?
Perhaps they should name it after Cheney… they could call it the Dickie… and it’d be a giant-sized, golden … ***…, mounted on a base, of course, so it’d be easier to present in a ceremony and could stand up on a desk top all by itself…
October 6th, 2009 at 12:54 pmJust more and continuing PROOF that chimpy and his band of completely lunatic-fringe, knuckle-dragging lumps were in fact just as stupid as we thought. BUT, for all the nerds that will eventually get their revenge – HAR…HAR…HAR….YEAH !!!
October 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pmSince she was working to save lives, she only got the Noble Prize. If she had worked to kill people for the profit of the multi-national corporations, Bush would have given her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pmAnyone who shows any intelligence is fired by bush.
consider it a badge of honor Dr’s Blackburn and May.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:57 pmJust think of all the advances we missed out on in the last eight years! Everything from Global Warming and Medical Science was politized thanks to Bush and his cabal. Think of all the money and advances we lost because a bunch of religious fanatics and old, white Global Warming denyers! Eight years down the drain! But they did leave us with 2 disaterous wars and a huge deficit. I WILL NEVER vote Repug again!
October 6th, 2009 at 1:00 pm19,
She has the courage of a mighty lion.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:02 pm…under the Bush administration, “scientific research…[was] being manipulated for political ends.”
Heh. Under the Bush administration, EVERYTHING was manipulated for political ends.
That’s why we’re in the shitter today.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:03 pmBlackburn will receive one-third of the $1.4 million prize granted to the trio of researchers.
That amounts to $466,666.66, which Trolls will claim PROVES she’s the devil.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pmOT
Delaware Repiggie Congressman set to run for Biden’s former seat.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOk0AFLuKcXmcCJbPw6BoSzEpN1wD9B5M5H81
We need a strong AMERICAN to stop this America hating teabagger from contaminating Delaware with his troll stench.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:08 pmFred says:
Anyone who shows any intelligence is fired by bush.
consider it a badge of honor Dr’s Blackburn and May.
The NEW (and once again honorable) Medal of Freedom.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:08 pmP.D. says:
Eight years down the drain! But they did leave us with 2 disaterous wars and a huge deficit. I WILL NEVER vote Repug again!
I guarantee that the voters will again elect people just as stupid as GWB. The voters are like little children who fail to learn that touching a hot stove burns the fingers. People will vote for another Republican who is going to promise the sun, the moon and the stars with another round of tax cuts.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:46 pmpags,
I agree, but people with the potential to be as stupid as Bush aren’t born everyday.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pmRich H says:
people with the potential to be as stupid as Bush aren’t born everyday.
Just look at how many people watch Fox News.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:51 pmGore never mixed politics and science. LMAO.
October 6th, 2009 at 3:17 pmDuke
Of course he did. Which is NOT the same thing as politicizing science. My GOD you are stupid. When did GORE try to downplay, change or ignore the science for his agenda? Oh he didnt and Bush indisputably did. If you cant see the difference then you are a pitiful moron
October 6th, 2009 at 4:30 pmMr.Duke says:
Gore never mixed politics and science. LMAO.
First of all, “LMAO”is not punctuation.
There’s a significant difference between bringing scientific findings to the attention of politics and advocating for policies and funding that take current scientific knowledge into consideration (as Gore did throughout his Senatorial career) and telling scientists to change their findings because your political supporters won’t like tham (as Bush did many times while President). Only knuckle-dragging morons wouldn’t be capable of understanding that difference.
Just be glad you’ve got Gore’s Internet to complain about him on.
October 6th, 2009 at 5:46 pmFor her part, Blackburn said that she didn’t “feel martyred.” Rather, she said she saw her dismissal as “a badge of honor.” Following her firing, she wrote a scathing indictment of her time on the council in the New England Annals of Medicine, writing that science should be “protected from the influence of politics“:
Well done, Dr Blackburn.
Congratulations!
October 6th, 2009 at 6:35 pmThanks and congratulations to Dr. Blackburn for rising above it all!
October 7th, 2009 at 11:45 amHowever…
It won’t be long before the repugs recharacterize her firing as “just wanting to free Dr. Blackburn up so she could pursue more important work.”
Then they’ll take credit for it.
Thank you for your sharing.!
October 11th, 2009 at 5:00 pmElizabeth Blackburn is still unravelling the mystery of why our cells age. gögüs küçültme
October 13th, 2009 at 6:01 am