CBHD: Who Will Be the Joe Coors of Bioethics? by Daniel McConchie

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	Daniel McConchie is Vice President & Chief of Staff at Americans United for Life, Chicago, Illinois.
	Post Date: October 17, 2003

In the early 1970's, the conservative political movement was practically dead. There were virtually no research or educational organizations (or "think tanks" as they are often referred to) and few activist groups. Political liberals were relentlessly pressing forward their agenda. There was no real base of support from which those who believed in limited government and other conservative ideals could organize and effectively press their case in the culture. Yet today the conservative political movement is very strong. Countless think tanks and activist groups dot the Washington, DC landscape. Many have daughter organizations based in various states working on state and local issues. Some are even expanding to the United Nations in New York in an attempt to impact world policy.

What happened in the past three decades to cause such a remarkable turnaround? In a word - constituencies.

There are two general types of constituencies. First are those constituencies who have a natural reason to care and support a cause. For example, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has a natural constituency--millions of gun owners who want to defend their right to keep and bear arms and to have a better experience with their hobby or craft. Gun owners already know that they need to be educated about types of firearms available, what uses certain firearms may have, how to use one safely and productively, as well as the legal or political threats to their continued freedom to own guns. The NRA doesn't really have to teach gun owners that they need to care about their issue. In fact, many gun owners not only know that they need to learn, they want to learn.

Other issues or movements don't have a natural constituency. Instead they consist of individuals who are trained to care and support a cause. The conservative movement of the 1970's is a good example of this. The public wasn't being very supportive of limited government or more economic freedom or a stronger national defense because they didn't know to be. Without think tanks and activist groups educating the public on the issues, they didn't understand enough to support the cause.

Unfortunately, bioethics is one of those issues that doesn't have a natural constituency even though the current and coming technologies may redefine the nature of human dignity, radically altering what it means to be human. Today we can genetically screen out "undesirables", harvest the parts of living human embryos, completely de-link children from their genetic heritage, wire people's nervous systems to the Internet, and mix human and animal DNA. Tomorrow we will be able to genetically modify our children, add processing power to our brains with computer chips or enhancing drugs, transplant most animal organs into people, and maybe even see the rise of artificially intelligent beings. These technologies will effect everyone. Yet before the public will support an ethical engagement in these issues, it will require teaching them to support such engagement.

Thirty years ago Joe Coors (photo left), the head of the Coors Brewing Company, bought into the vision of some Congressional staffers in Washington to establish a new conservative think tank. The Heritage Foundation became Joe Coors' legacy. Through Heritage, Joe Coors helped spawn the early building of a conservative constituency. Millions of dollars were spent over the years promoting the vision of limited government and economic freedom to both policy makers and the public. By educating the public, people began sharing the vision of Joe Coors and started to promote it. Through financially supporting Heritage and other like-minded organizations and political candidates, the constituent base of the conservative movement grew and grew. New constituents began using their resources to help Heritage and other groups train more potential constituents, until the movement became one of the most undeniable forces in U.S. politics.

But it took the capital of Joe Coors to make it happen. His personal intellectual involvement as well as his financial support gave the necessary help to raise a generation of supporters. Joe Coors died on March 15, 2003. But the conservative movement he helped spawn continues boldly on.

Just like the conservative political movement flourished because of the involvement and support some ardent backers, bioethics is in need of a Joe Coors today. Those who favor an "anything goes" policy on the biotechnological and clinical issues of our time are spending more than $30 million every year in lobbying and political contributions alone. Millions more are spent promoting a post-human future. Without the means to educate the public on what such a future will likely look like, we may not be able to engage it until it's too late.

Bioethics needs resources to build a constituency. Every time I go and speak on these important issues, I inevitably meet people who have never heard of these questions before and want to learn more. But we cannot reach most of these people--there simply are not enough resources to fill the need. Bioethics needs resources to send out speakers and educators, publish commentaries and analyses, put together research reports and analytical data, and train more workers. Bioethics needs research organizations, activist groups, and political action committees. It needs means to help both the professional and the ordinary person to care.

Through a concerted, coordinated effort, those who want to defend the dignity of all human beings from exploitation and abuse can retake the lead. But to do it is going to take one, two, or even ten committed individuals who want to stand up for the human race--people who are willing to put their personal resources where their mouth is.