In the wake of increasing abortion opposition efforts, decreased Planned Parenthood funding and opposition to fetal tissue research aren’t the only issues; a multitude of scientific goods have fallen victim to our nation’s larger problem of a scientifically misinformed population.

The recent accusations regarding Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue research are just another example of how scientific issues are becoming increasingly politicized. Though six states have concluded the organization has not been selling fetal tissue for profit, some politicians are still pursuing laws that will prevent scientists from using fetal tissue in any capacity—in spite of the fact that this tissue could play a critical role in areas of regenerative medicine, such as developing treatments for Parkinson’s. Fetal tissue contains pluripotent stem cells, which are able to form all adult cell types. At this point in time, no other technology exists that can serve as an effective alternative to fetal tissue in research. The National Institutes of Health currently gives $76 million in grants towards labs utilizing fetal tissue, indicating how valuable this resource is.

Proposed laws, such as a Wisconsin bill that will charge the use of fetal tissue as a felony, are being pushed by conservatives staunchly opposed to abortion. But, as Stanford University biomedical ethicist David Magnus points out, opposing abortion doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot support fetal tissue research. “The analogy is often made of organ procurement. ‘I’m not in favor of car accidents’…But if tragedies happen…then being able to have something good come out of that is seen as largely a good thing.’” In this case, strongly held beliefs run the risk of hindering crucial progress in the scientific community.

While this issue may seem removed from everyday scenarios, legislation created by the scientifically misinformed also interferes with modern technologies like vaccines and GMOs. Rand Paul implied earlier this year that there was a link between vaccination and mental disorder, which has no scientific backing whatsoever. Though he later retracted this statement, he still advocates that vaccinations should be completely voluntary. But vaccines prevent highly contagious diseases such as polio and are only effective when most, if not all, people in a community are vaccinated. Choosing not to vaccinate not only harms you, but also runs the risk of harming many others. The way that people and the media talk about vaccines changes the way that the public perceives it, turning a completely noncontroversial issue into an area of debate.

Also, lawmakers who are pushing to label all genetically modified foods are scaring consumers into avoiding GMOs, which have been found to be completely harmless and even beneficial in solving the problem of world hunger. Some food companies are taking advantage of the public’s irrational fear of GMOs by charging a premium price on “natural” products, which are allowed to carry this label even if the food is genetically modified. The notion that GMOs are intrinsically tied to large corporate farming is also an illusion: 88 percent of all U.S. corn crops grown today are genetically modified, including the Corn Belt that surrounds Missouri.

Ultimately, what’s important to remember is that these topics are only a small snippet of what goes on in the scientific community. Even if you may not agree with the use of fetal tissue for research, the NIH’s 2015 budget was over $30 billion in total, making fetal tissue research only 0.25 percent of what the NIH funds. The rest of this money, including $325 million at our very own School of Medicine, is being put to use by scientists who operate under various codes of ethics and federal regulations to act in the best interest of the public. The examples mentioned demonstrate how science is inextricably linked to politics and subject to human bias. Like any other subject, it’s worth doing your own research the next time a topic is sensationalized in the media.