Stem Cell Research

Ben Sovacool is a Fellow at the Centre for Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Is this a good question?

Yes, it’s a very important question but I wonder if making it two questions might be too much. Perhaps after showing the picture of the pope and then the one of DNA, the question could be shortened/combined to something like “How will your religious views influence your ability to make decisions for the country on issues like stem cell research?”

How might different candidates respond to the question?

As it stands, I think it gives them an easy cop-out: they take the abortion like stance that their own views are one way, but that separation of church and state demands that they don’t let their views overly influence their advocacy. We all know that the candidates will say to that question. A better question, for me at least, is how such religious candidates will represent the views of the millions of Americans who are agnostic, atheistic, or not religious. Can they really advocate for the country, and not their own religion?

What stakes does the question reveal?

Philosophically, it cuts to the core of how candidates balance their religious interests and the general interests of democracy. Specifically, it gets into important policy questions like gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, feminism (think about women serving in the Catholic church), etc.

What do you make of the “YouTube” debate question format?

I like it, but (obviously excluding this question) I wish it was slightly censured more so that patently stupid questions aren’t asked.

Is it legitimate for international citizens to ask questions of political candidates in the United States?

Yes, especially given that the decisions the U.S. makes affect both the country and the world.