There are ethical concerns involved in the development of new technologies, but these ethical concerns are quite the opposite of what the Religious Right would have you believe. When new technology is developed, we must ask whether this technology has the potential to help humankind in any way. If the answer is "yes," or even just "possibly," then in nearly all cases the technological advance must be pursued. That is the only truly ethical path to take — to choose courses of action which can help as many people as possible.

• Anything can be used for unethical purposes; but a technological advance or technique cannot, in and of itself, be unethical. We must separate the potential uses we may fear from the advance itself.
• Scientific and technological advance has prolonged and improved the lives of every human it has touched. In the past 100 years, we have nearly doubled the average life expectancy of American citizens, thanks to scientific advances, such as those in the fields of safety engineering and medicine. Anyone who is against the advance of technology and scientific progress is an enemy of humankind.