[ExI] The Manifesto of Italian Transhumanists

[Stefano Vaj]

On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 4:51 PM, Amara Graps <amara at amara.com> wrote:
> Stefano Vaj:
>  >Even the referendum against the law on IVF
>  >etc, was lost only because it was voided by the too few votes
>  >expressed, not because the anti-IVF had any majority support.
>
>  Are you sure?

This is what the figures testify... The great majority of those who
voted voted in favour of the abrogation of the law.

>  I think it's important for Transhumanists to understand:
>  Why too few votes? Why couldn't that referendum gather 50%? Can you
>  answer?

Mmhhh. Lack of information? Censorship by mainstream media? Cultural
limits? Insufficient mobilisation or blatant betrayal of the forces
who should theoretically have supported the referendum? Fear of the
swinging catholic 4-5% in the upcoming elections (rumors say that the
election of Mr. Prodi as the Italian prime minister was offered by the
church in exchange for the renouncing of the center-left to fight that
battle as it was requested to do by most of its militants...)? The
clever presentation of the law by its supporters as something
concerning only couples with fertility problems (in fact it forbids
almost all kinds of human reproductive or genetic technology)?

>  The only answer I have is that the Vatican was extremely effective in
>  that campaign. I still have my brochure from 'the Committee of Science
>  and Life' that arrived in my mailbox. I still remember the posters up
>  all over my town from them telling people not to vote. I remember *my
>  scientific colleagues not voting*, telling me that the assisted
>  reproductive technology laws were 'too wild' and 'needed to be
>  controlled'.

Yes, this was also a factor. But please keep in mind that one need not
be persuaded not to vote - rather the contrary. If you do not care one
way or another, you do not vote, period. Thus, silence on the issue
was at least as effective as negative propaganda.

Thus, the minority of people actively supporting that prohibitionist
law had just to bet on the disinformation or passivity of the majority
of the Italian voters. If, as in Switzerland, referendums are valid
irrespective of the number of voters, it would have been veeeeeeeeeery
difficult for the Vatican to get a number sufficient of voters to say
"no" to the abrogation of that law. In fact, "no" votes were almost
non-existent.

Stefano Vaj