Popular Media in the Biology Classroom: Viewing Popular Science Skeptically‪.‬

Biology is not an opinion subject. ... It's a facts-based subject. If this had been a philosophy class, I wouldn't have said anything. (Spies, 2008) The above statement was made by a senior in a university embryology course in response to her teacher's suggestion that fetuses should be aborted if amniocentesis showed the presence of trisomy-21. The student, who happened to have a sibling with Down syndrome, was appalled at the comment, and reported the instructor to the Dean of the college because she felt that instructor opinions had no place in the science classroom. In response, the professor (with 35 years of teaching experience) later admitted that he offers this opinion as a means for stimulating class discussion, and if faced with the same situation would not likely find the decision as clear-cut as he might imply in his lecture. Accusations and justifications aside, it is the student's explanation of why this statement was offensive in this particular classroom setting that begs consideration.