What will become of government bioethics? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess. Last Thursday, in Washington, the President’s Council on Bioethics convened the some of the world’s experts in government bioethics councils to discuss the past, present and future of bioethics councils including the head of the UK’s Nuffield Council, former executive directors of national bioethics councils and former chair’s of US executive bioethics bodies.
Meanwhile in New Zealand, their national bioethics council, Toi te Taiao, has been disbanded by their government saying its work is redundant and unnecessary.
The upshot? President Obama has kept President Bush’s previous bioethics council, at least for the time being, while it asks the question about where are we headed in terms of public bioethics.
Meanwhile around the world, governments create bioethics commissions continue to serve in multiple capacities in places as diverse as the United States, the UK, and Ghana giving public policy advice, research ethics review, or some other combination of science and health policy creation.
Will the tradition of presidential bioethics commissions continue? Possibly. I have argued that it is likely to, but only time will tell. Let’s hope that bioethics commissions in the US don’t go the way of the dodo bird.
Summer Johnson, PhD