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Politics & The Nation nobel from A1


petri dish in the laboratory with sperm and placing the fertilized egg into a woman’s womb to develop naturally. It is used to treat a host of fertility problems, including cases in which a wom- an’s fallopian tubes are blocked, preventing the egg from being fertilized normally. Edwards, now 85 and a pro-


fessor emeritus at the University of Cambridge, was too ill to give interviews about the award. In a statement released by Bourn Hall, the infertility clinic he founded, Edwards’s wife, Ruth, said: “The family are thrilled and delighted. . . . The success of this research has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. His dedication and single mind- ed determination despite opposi- tion from many quarters . . . has led to successful application of his pioneering research.” But IVF has forced society to


reconsider many assumptions. Using IVF, a child today can have one “mother” who donated her genes, another who donated her womb and another who raised him or her, for example. Family members have supplied eggs, sperm and wombs to relatives, scrambling traditional relation-


EZ SU


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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010 Nobel winner’s breakthrough led to advances, ethical questions


ships. The procedure has also helped fuel the debate over gay rights by enabling same-sex cou- ples to have genetically related children. “The implications are just


staggering,” Caplan said. “Even some of the arguments about gay marriage spin out from the fact that IVF lets gay people have children.” The procedure also furthered


the trend that started with the birth control pill by giving wom- en greater control over their reproductive lives, leading more to delay childbearing to pursue education and careers. “In the 20th century, you


could argue the two develop- ments that shaped human be- havior were the birth control pill and IVF,” Caplan said. At the same time, because


women are paid to donate their eggs or offer their wombs to become surrogate mothers, wor- ries have arisen that the pricey procedure has turned reproduc- tion into a commodity . “It has led to some concerns


about the commercialization — making childbearing into a busi- ness,” Andrews said. “You have couples creating embryos in the U.S. and implanting them in women in the Third World, for


example.” The law has also had difficulty


keeping up with the technology, resulting, for instance, in legal battles over the custody of em- bryos. “This has led to reconsidera-


tion of men’s role in reproduc- tion,” Andrews said. “Prior to this, all the choices had to do with women. But now that the embryo is outside of her body, you have to rethink what repro-


One month before elections, Republicans retain poll lead


poll from A1


tured control of Congress. Among likely voters, Republi-


cans hold a six-point edge, 49 percent to 43 percent, on the congressional ballot. At this time four years ago, Democrats led by 12 points. Then, Democrats also held a 19-point advantage when voters were asked which party they trusted to deal with the country’smain problems. Today, the public is almost


evenly divided on that question, nearly matching public senti- ment in October 1994, the last time Republicans won both the House and the Senate. Looking toward Nov. 2, Re-


publicans still hold two signifi- cant advantages. The poll shows thatRepublicans are paying clos- er attention to the elections than are Democrats. Nearly three- quarters of Republicans call the 2010 elections more important to the country than others in their lifetime. A similar proportion of Re-


publicans say itwould be a “good thing” if the GOP won back control of Congress; only about half ofDemocrats see that poten- tial result as a “bad thing.” Democrats were farmore like-


ly than Republicans to say they would back their incumbent House representative next month (40 percent to 26 per- cent). Independents are themost anti-incumbent,with just 23 per- cent saying they were inclined to vote to reelect their representa- tive. Meanwhile,


independents


continue to lean heavily toward the GOP in their voting inten- tions, a sharp change from both 2006 and 2008. Among indepen- dent voters most likely to cast ballots this year, 53 percent say they favor the Republican in their district, compared with 33 percentwho favor theDemocrat- ic candidate. Dissatisfaction with Washing-


ton politicians remains high, al- ways a warning to the party in power. Approval of Congress stands at 23 percent among all registered voters, notmuch high- er than it was at this time in 1994. Disapproval of congressio- nal Democrats has reached a record high in Post-ABC polling, at 61 percent. But a continuing wild card in this fall’s races is that disapproval of congressio- nal Republicans is even higher, at 67 percent. Anger about theway the feder-


al government is working is far higher among Republicans (34 percent) and independents (30 percent) than it is among Demo- crats (12 percent). Republicans and indepen-


dents are also far gloomier in their assessment of the economy, and by hugemargins they believe themoney spent under the feder- al stimulus program has been mostlywasted.Nine in 10Repub- licans and three-quarters of in- dependents say that money has been misspent; far fewer Demo- crats, just over four in 10, agree. Health care continues to di-


vide the country, as it has for more than a year,with 47 percent saying they support the changes enacted this year and 48 percent saying they oppose them. Opin- ions continue to be highly polar-


Q:


Voters still angry as Democrats edge closer Te electoral landscape re-tilts toward Democrats, even as dissatisfaction with the party’s congressional representatives tops 1994 levels. However, the GOP’s big gains in 1994 remain a closer model to today than does 2006, when Democrats swept back into power.


Q:


If the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in November were being held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate in your congressional district? (Among likely voters)


NOW


Democratic candidate Republican candidate


One month ago, Democrats 40%, GOP 53%


Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of ... (% approve among registered voters)


35 28


... the Democrats in Congress ... the Republicans in Congress


51 ... the U.S. Congress ... your own representative Q:


Overall, which party do you trust to do a better job of coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years? (among registered voters)


Democrats Republicans Neither


Q:


If the Republicans win control of Congress in November, do you think they would mainly lead the country in a new direction or mainly return to the policies of George W. Bush? (among registered voters)


23 31 17 62 49 49% 43%


OCT. 2006 54


42


OCT. 1994 47 49


ductive libertymeans. Courts are moving toward givingmenmore rights.” Because infertility clinics are


largely unregulated in the Unit- ed States, critics say many often push ethical boundaries. For ex- ample, some enable couples to choose the sex of their children. “I would argue that IVF tech-


nology opened a door to a kind of control over human lives. Upon reflection now three decades lat-


CENTRAL PRESS/GETTY IMAGES


Robert Edwards works with his team in Cambridge, England, during the early days of research into in vitro fertilization in 1969. Their research led to the first “test-tube baby” in 1978. About 4 million such births have occurred around the world since, and the technique helped lay the groundwork for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning.


genes. The process is used pri- marily to spot devastating genet- ic disorders, increasing the chances that couples will give birth to healthy babies. But com- bined with the constant flow of discoveries of new genes, the procedure has led to concern about “designer babies,” inwhich couples might try to choose a host of traits, including eye color, hair color, height and intelli- gence. “In the 20th century, I would


er, I think we’re seeing the very dark consequences of this,” said theRev. ThomasBerg, director of the Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person, a Catholic bioethics think tank. “I think we’re seeing the very ques- tionable moral directions that this technology is taking us.” Another widely used proce-


dure, known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, enables doc- tors to test embryos for specific


argue the biggest debate in America in terms of reproduc- tion has been abortion,” Caplan said. “I believe in the 21st centu- ry, Edwards’s discoveries will make the issue of designing our descendants — that is, trying to create childrenwho are stronger, faster, live longer, that sort of thing — that’s going to become the biggest issue in the first half of the 21st century.” For her part, Brown, now 32, a


mother of a son she conceived naturally, welcomed Edwards’s victory . “It’s fantastic news,” she said in a statement released by Bourn Hall. “Me andmumare so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recogni- tion he deserves.” steinr@washpost.com


Digital age hasn’t spelled demise of the low-tech paper business card


cards from A1


and immediate. Creators of alternatives to busi-


ness cards “are trying to solve a problem that nobody wants solved,” said Peter Corbett, the 30-year-old chief executive of iS- trategyLabs,aD.C.digitalmarket- ing firm. Corbett,whose iPhone is essen-


tially an appendage to his body, is an unlikely defender of such anti- quated technology, but young tech executives are hardly the only newgroup of users to bewon over by a card that fits neatly in your wallet. Smartphone-toting moms use business cards to ar- range play dates. Singles hand them out at bars. In these hard times, the jobless oftenhave cards even if they don’t have a business address. Otherpaperproducts arebeing


47 36 36 30


displaced because the digital ver- sion appears to be better. Print newspapers can seem old com- pared with the instant offerings online. Kindles and iPads let peo- ple tote around thousands of books. Google is faster, smarter, and more complete than the Yel- lowPages. Business cards, however, are as


41 39 15 Return to


Bush policies 41%


52 37 7 39 40 16


direction 50%


New


speedy as their digital competi- tors—hand over a card and your newacquaintanceknowswhoyou are and howto contact you—but they also add something more. “Even today, people still love see- ing their name in print,” said Rob Schlacter,vicepresidentofquality and business services for Staples. There’s something more nu-


anced to the appeal of the card, though. When people exchange businesscards, theytransfermore thanjust contactdata.Theytrans- fer impressions and stories that leavemental imprints. Corbett’sbusiness cardismatte


No opinion 9% NOTE: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding or the omission of some categories.


SOURCE: Tis Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2010, among a random national sample of 1,002 adults, including 879 registered voters and 669 likely voters. Interviews were conducted on both conventional and cellular phones. Results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; it is four points for both voter samples. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.


THE WASHINGTON POST


black, so it’s silky and no one can write on it. When he hands one over, the recipient often says, “Hey, I can’t write on this.” That gives Corbett a chance to tell a story about how when he was working in Japan, it was consid- ered rude to write on business cards. “A client gets to know a little


ized on this issue, with 75 per- cent of Democrats supporting the changes and 83 percent of Republicans opposed. A slim majority of indepen-


dents (53 percent) say they op- pose the new law. Most oppo- nents of the new law say they would support an effort to over- turn it, either by another vote in Congress or through the courts. Obama and the Democrats


have argued that if Republicans were to gain control of Congress, they would return to the policies of President George W. Bush. Two-thirds of Democrats share that viewand say itwould be bad for the country. But almost a quarter of Democrats say a GOP- led Congress would take the country in a new and better direction or say a return to Bush’s policies would be good. Republicans overwhelmingly


see a positive change in direction if their party wins control of Congress, and almost half of independents agree. About a third of independents say Re- publicans would reinstitute Bush’s policies and view such a


move negatively. Another bigwild card this year


remains the emergence of the tea partymovement. A third of voters think tea


party candidates, if elected this fall, would change the culture of Washington, with most seeing positive shifts. About 15 percent of voters say


they strongly support the tea party; they overwhelmingly fa- vor Republican congressional candidates in the elections. The telephone poll of 1,002


randomly selected adults was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, including interviews with 879 registered voters and 669 likely to cast ballots in the upcoming congressional elections. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the full sample, and four points for both voter groups. balzd@washpost.com cohenj@washpost.com


Assistant polling analyst Kyle Dropp and polling consultant Meredith Chaiken contributed to this report.


more aboutme,” he said. “You are branding yourself. And I think a lot of people today are also really visual. I might not remember a person’s name right away, but I’ll remember, oh. . ., their card had a greentree andabluebackground. Then I can sort throughmy cards, find the one with the green tree, and call them up. That doesn’t happenwith an app.” Bump offers a new form of


social interaction — actually touching your phone to someone else’s. But the way Bump is used indicates that it is losing out to cards, at least in the business world. Although 20 million peo- ple have downloaded Bump, a spokeswoman for the company says traffic on the app dips during midweek and surges on week- ends, suggesting that most use is for non-business purposes. “We haven’t found anybody


solely using this in a business setting,” said Sadie Bascom, whose title is Bump Evangelist, though the company doesn’t use business cards. The irony of the card’s survival


is that it has been made possible bytechnology.Manybusinesspeo- ple who still value exchanging cards use small desktop devices


BILL O’LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST


Peter Corbett, the 30-year-old chief executive of iStrategyLabs, a digital marketing firm, shows some of the business cards he has kept and uses for contact information, in hisWashington office. Creators of alternatives to business cards “are trying to solve a problem that nobody wants solved,” he says.


suchasCardScantoscanbusiness card details into their computer’s contacts file. There are even smartphone apps that scan cards and extract information. “I am not the enemy of the


business card,” said Patrick Questembert, developer of Scan- BizCards for the iPhone. “These thingswillbe arounda long time.” Advances in digital printing


havemade it simple and cheap to print professional- looking cards. Vistaprint offers free business cards in exchange for putting an ad on the rear.Megan Tracy Ben- son, a stay-at-home mom who lives in Silver Springwith her two young children, took the offer, handing out cards to fellowmoms at the playground. “I was always just writing on


the backs of scraps of paper and losing them, so I thought, ‘I had onewhenIwasworking—I’ll just get somebusiness cards,’ ”Benson said. “It’s very 19th-century, but I still enjoy using them. They come in handy,” such as when she’s out to lunch and drops her card into fishbowls of business cards in an effort to win a free sandwich. (Hey, kids aren’t cheap.) Business cardmakers reportan


increase in orders from workers who have lost their jobs or worry they could be displaced. Martine Jean is a financial ad-


viser for Morgan Stanley. But, as she says, “These days, you never know what can happen.” Because shehasalawdegree,Jeanrecently decided to practice on the side. One of the first things she did: Head over to Staples for some business cards. “It's a quick and easy way to just say who you are,” she said. Business cards are also revert-


ing to a 19th-century function. Several online dating companies have sprung up to offer cards for pickup situations. For $25, Cheek’doffers customers 50cards they can hand out at bars bearing a flirtatious comment and a way to contact the suitor. Michelle Farrell, a 36-year-old


federal contractor in the District, chose the old-fashioned route, or- dering dating cards online — cream stock with green vines on each side. First name, email ad- dress, phone number. She hands them to intriguing guys at bars, with a simple pickup line: “Here’s my card.”


rosenwaldm@washpost.com


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