Michael Sean Winters: “This is not science but scientism, the idea that philosophic questions of values, concern for the uniqueness of each individual and their familial and social circumstances, the ethical belief that there are things that can be done but which ought not to be done, all are swept away because some lab technician proves there are no medical side effects.

The HHS decision is not about politics trumping science. It is about common sense putting sensible limits upon what science has made possible. It is about recognizing that eleven year olds need supervision. It is about making rules that reflect the particularity of circumstances not the generality of what is scientifically possible.”