It is curious how a reading on one topic prompts one to think of another topic. A recent article on the Religious Dispatches website did just that. 

http://religiondispatches.org/nightly-news-turns-to-bishops-about-contraception-more-often-than-docs/

I found myself thinking about the upcoming, much touted, and equally maligned papal encyclical on the environment and, more specifically climate change. Can we or will we get it right this time? Will the best of contemporary science form the underpinnings of and serve as guidance for the discussion of environmental concerns and the proper responses by humankind? As we have seen in the six decades of discussion of reproductive health, social, political, cultural, philosophical, and theological perspectives have most often held sway over good science--the knowledge of how things are and how they work. The above article is evidence of how little emphasis is placed on a clear and thorough understanding of the nature of things before we go about crafting social convention, stake out political and moral positions, and fit new knowledge within the context of existing knowledge. There is little reason for confidence that any future discussion of reproductive health in the public square will be any different than the typical discussion seen to date.

Maybe we can get it done better this time. The public will need to challenge the press and those who propose to address the topic as experts. The challenge is to demand to see the evidence of the science that underpins their respective positions. If the science presented is not supported by an adequate evidence base, then it--the science--and the accompanying social, political, cultural, philosophical, or theological position are to be set aside in favor of those founded on the best science at our disposal. In recent years, there are those within the scientific community who are increasingly willing to confound those employing questionable science to support equally questionable positions. Anyone proposing to speak in the public square can and should expect a similar challenge.