The Scientific and Ethical Elements of Human Enhancement
Human enhancement may be just around the corner. How do Americans view these emerging technologies that may one day enhance our human capabilities?
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Religion
-
-
Many countries allow child marriage
Almost all of the world’s nations have laws specifying at which age a couple can marry, and in most of these countries, those under the age of 18 are allowed to wed.
-
House seats rarely flip from one party to the other
Big partisan shifts in the House of Representatives happen, but not often. In only three of the past 12 election cycles has one party posted a net gain of more than 30 seats, and on average 93% of House members who seek re-election are voted back into office.
-
Many Americans are wary of using gene editing for human enhancement
A new gene-editing method called CRISPR exemplifies how the technology is rapidly becoming a present-day reality. Yet, Americans are wary of editing embryos, according to a survey on the broader field of “human enhancement.”
-
Why America’s ‘nones’ left religion behind
As the percentage of U.S. adults who do not identify with a religious group grows, we asked these people to explain, in their own words, why they left.
-
What do Americans look for in a church, and how do they find one? It depends in part on their age
At least three-quarters of adults under 30 talked to a congregation member or friend during their search, compared with just over half of those 65 or older.
-
Choosing a New Church or House of Worship
About half of U.S. adults have looked for a new religious congregation at some point in their lives, most commonly because they have moved.
-
Most states allow religious exemptions from child abuse and neglect laws
All states prosecute parents whose children come to severe harm through neglect. But in thirty-four states (as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico), there are exemptions in the civil child abuse statutes when medical treatment for a child conflicts with the religious beliefs of parents.
-
Split-ticket districts, once common, are now rare
In 2012, only 26 House districts out of 435 chose one party’s presidential nominee and the other party’s candidate for the House.
