[Xmca-l] Re: SCRD and U.S. immigration policy statement

[David Preiss]

Thanks for your words, Alfredo. Today is World Refugee day, coincidentally.
My modest take on this is that we cannot build human rights statements
based on scientific evidence.  Human rights are value aspirations, science
is an evolving and ever-changing enterprise. What about if we find evidence
that some outrageous actions do not produce psychological consequences? Are
we going to change our stance on them?  As regards scientific
organizations, I understand they cannot be partisan, but the whole thing of
human rights is that they should not be a partisan issue... So, the
question is whether science organizations, as part of society, have a role
(or not) in standing for human rights.

On Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 3:30 AM, Alfredo Jornet Gil <a.j.gil@iped.uio.no>
wrote:

> Thanks for sharing this, David. Many of us are deeply concerned and sad
> with the barbarity and inhumanity that the people in the US borders and
> lands are suffering because of current US policies with immigration, not to
> mention the recent withdrawall from UN's Human Rights Council. But yes, I
> totally agree that this opens wide room for discussing the always complex
> relation between science and politics.
>
>
> Personally, I totally support the writing of a scientific repport showing
> the "evidence" of the inhumanity of separating young children from their
> parents. But I am very unsure about the adequacy of a supposedly
> non-partisan position of using "scientific" evidence as a sort of blank
> sheet upon which to draw political opinions and choices, specially when the
> "science" concerns basic human rights of and for evelopment and well-being
> that any other species *knows* without uncertainty, with tenacious and
> irrevocable objectivity. Is the work of documenting the *need* and *right*
> of children to remain together with their parents really about
> "objectivity"? Or put another way, what type of science is that which
> cannot tell whether separating children from parents/caregivers is *bad*
> and *not right*? After all, the SCRD's statement seems quite unambigous
> with regard to what has "importance" and should be "prioritized".
>
>
> A can of worms. Surely many here that have a much more articulated
> position about this. I am very curious about what the views on this are.
> With five IPCC reports out there and seeing the little progress made on
> Climate Change issues, this debate, though old, is far from exhausted, I am
> afraid.
>
> Alfredo
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>
> on behalf of David Preiss <preiss.xmca@gmail.com>
> *Sent:* 20 June 2018 05:25
> *To:* eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> *Subject:* [Xmca-l] Re: SCRD and U.S. immigration policy statement
>
> PS. The twitter account of SRCD then disseminated related evidence and
> posted a new statement:
>
> https://mobile.twitter.com/SRCDtweets
>
> SRCD Statement Addressing the Evidence on Child Separation from Families:
> The science on separating children from their families is unambiguous: It
> is harmful to children’s development and long-term physical, mental, and
> emotional health. It disrupts a child’s sense of security, removes a
> child’s strongest source of comfort, and causes harm to a child’s
> well-being. The evidence underscores the importance of prioritizing keeping
> children secure with their families.
>
> On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 11:20 PM, David Preiss <preiss.xmca@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> This may open a constructive dialogue here on the always complex relation
>> between policy, politics, science and human rights.
>>
>> DP
>>
>> Statement of Laura L. Namy, Executive Director, Society for Research in
>> Child Development on U.S. Policy of Separating Immigrant Children from
>> their Families at the Border
>>
>> https://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/documents/statement
>> _from_laura_l_namy_child_separation_2.pdf
>>
>>
>>
>
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