Institute of Advanced Studies

The Ethics of Science Policy in the Post-Genomic World: Broadening the Discussion

Eric M. Meslin, Ph.D, Director, Indiana University Center for Bioethics and 2009 IAS Professor-at-Large

Much of the academic bioethics work on science policy in the late 20th and early 21st century has been preoccupied with the challenges arising from two big topic areas: research involving human subjects, and the implications of the human genome project.  

Bioethics was very successful in both areas contributing to national and international guidelines for research, improved informed consent documents, privacy protection standards, and other guidance. Important as these topics are, and will continue to be, other areas of science policy have an equally profound effect on society and global human welfare but have been given considerably less attention. Indeed, many are not directly related to biomedical science at all, and include such diverse areas as environmental standards, labor and commerce, national security, trade, and foreign policy. Since each of these areas benefit from scientific research—it stands to reason that ethical issues will emerge when policy is developed.

This talk will discuss ways in which broadening the bioethics discussion to include areas outside of the biomedical paradigm may have an important long term impact on society.