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Finding a Forum for Bioethics in U.S. Public Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2016

Kathi E. Hanna ,
Robert M. Cook-Deegan  and
Robyn Y. Nishimi
Kathi E. Hanna
Affiliation:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA
Robert M. Cook-Deegan
Affiliation:
Institute of Medicine, USA
Robyn Y. Nishimi
Affiliation:
Office of Technology Assessment, USA
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Abstract

Advances in biomedical research and health care simultaneously create practical benefits and ethical dilemmas. These bioethical dilemmas are the subject of intense social and political debate. Recent attempts in the United States to address these issues in a national, public policy setting have had mixed success. The absence of a single national voice has resulted in many voices at many levels. This article describes and analyzes past national bioethics bodies in an effort to find commonalities for both success and failure. It concludes that reconstitution of an Ethics Advisory Board within the Department of Health and Human Services and the formation of a President's Bioethics Commission are needed as the nation confronts new and difficult choices in research ethics and the delivery of health care.

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ARTICLES
Information
Politics and the Life Sciences , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , August 1993 , pp. 205 - 219
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 

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