The stem cell research debate took center stage at Biola Thursday night as The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network sponsored a showing of its new film on the subject. It was followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers in Mayers Auditorium.
The film, “Lines That Divide,” centers on an investigation of the pros and cons of adult stem cells versus their embryonic counterparts.
“It addresses a couple of pretty significant questions,” said Scott Rae, chair of Biola’s philosophy and ethics program, who hosted the free event. “That is, ‘When and under what conditions should morality restrain science?’ And the other question is, ‘Do the ends, good ends, justify morally-questionable means?’”
The film encourages viewers to adopt a holistic view of stem cell research, rather than merely accepting celebrity hype from actors like Brad Pitt, or politicians like Nancy Pelosi, who may offer one-sided or incomplete understandings of the issue.
“One of the things that I discovered in myself and with others was how much we are not told — that was the shocking thing — and how much we don’t know,” said Brian Godawa, who wrote and directed the film. “I wanted it to be primarily educational about the politics and science that we’re not told, and then also to address the ethical issues.”
Godawa, who wrote the screenplay for the feature film, “To End All Wars,” said he targeted a “PBS audience” for this film, so he tried to avoid a preachy or sensationalized tone.
“That was important,” he said. “And I think in so doing, more people will listen and respect it.”
Jennifer Lahl, founder and national director of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, approached Godawa and producer Jack Hafer, assistant professor of cinema and media arts, about making the film together.
“We are an educational non-profit organization, and part of our corporate culture is not to be bombastic but just tell the story, letting the chips fall where they may,” she said. “We didn’t just want to tell our story … we did want to let our opposing voices sort of speak for themselves.”
Rae applauded Lahl’s efforts with the film.
“She had a great idea to try and put this debate on film, a media presentation that be accessible to a person who is not a specialist either in the sciences or in ethics,” he said. “It tries to make a complicated debate accessible to people who don’t have a lot of background [in these disciplines].”
The film was shown at Boston College Law School in October, and UC Berkeley will show the film later this month, according to the film’s Web site, linesthatdivide.com.
