Think Tanks, Bioethics, and Public Policy: Who is weighing in and why?

Day: Friday, April 22   Hour: 11:15 - 12:00 pm

By: Kathryn Hinsch

The purpose of the talk is to demonstrate how public policy institutes and other advocacy groups, commonly known as “think tanks,” have recently added bioethics to their political agendas. These well-funded groups, who most often are coming from an extremely conservative and overtly religious point of view, are actively framing the public debate on reproductive and genetic technologies and influencing policy on a national and international level.

Kathryn Hinsch will also explore how the field of bioethics is evolving from a discipline based on philosophical constructs to one defined by legal precepts in the realm of public policy. Examples will include the recent work of the national bioethics commissions, UNESCO’s current efforts to draft a declaration on universal bioethical norms, and legislation introduced at the state level. Kathryn Hinsch will argue that it is vital for women, who have a special stake in bioethical issues, to come together to promote the thoughtful application of biotechnology to improve the status of women's lives, to safeguard women’s bodies from harm, and ensure that women’s life priorities are recognized in all public policy decisions. <<Back to Conference program