August 2004 Report

Dear friends,

I want to give you a quick summary of the progress of the Women's Bioethics Project (WBP) since our Seattle reception in June. There continues to be tremendous interest, both locally and nationally, in establishing a think tank that will ensure women's voices and experiences are represented on bioethical issues. We appreciate your support during this important phase of WBP's development and growth.

The current debates on stem-cell research illustrate that bioethical issues are not just obscure scientific musings. Rather, these emerging issues have the potential to affect our daily lives and raise fundamental questions about what it means to be a human being. The good news is that because these are new issues the processes for addressing them have yet to be established. With the right strategy and organizational focus, we have a chance to make a significant national impact, disproportionate to our numbers and financial resources. But we need to act quickly.

We have kicked off six initiatives to capitalize on this opportunity. Below is a snapshot of each. For now, the details are confidential, but we wanted to give you a sense of what we are trying to accomplish. If you'd like to know more or get involved, please feel free to contact me.

Community building

This initiative will be led by Lisa Stone, JD, executive director of the Northwest Women's Law Center. More than 110 people attended our first community-building event in Seattle—an attendance 30% greater than we had expected. (See attached for the complete list of organizations represented, as well as transcripts of two of the talks—mine and Patricia Kuszler's—from that evening. Transcripts of Debbie Cool's and Suzanne Holland's remarks will follow in a later update.) Nearly all attendees completed a response card and indicated a desire to be involved in the think tank. Even though it wasn't a fundraiser, the vision we shared struck such a chord with attendees that we raised thousands of dollars that night, and many more attendees indicated plans to contribute. One foundation requested we submit a funding proposal, and we received many offers to serve on committees. Next step: Host community-building receptions in five more West Coast cities over the next 6-12 months

Public affairs

Sally Poliak, former political consultant and global marketing manager at Microsoft, is at the helm of the public affairs initiative. We have launched an ambitious program to understand how public policy debates on bioethical issues are happening today. First steps will include in-depth media and legislative analyses. The results of this initial audit will be shape strategic planning and help prioritize the issues we want to address.

Online strategy

The WBP website will be a vital part of the think tank's operations and overall communications plan. Susan Brown Trinidad, MA, former health care consultant, writer, and medical ethics professional, will lead this effort. The website will offer opportunities for interaction and community-building; a repository of relevant research, news, and information; and a central point of contact for researchers, policymakers, media, and the public at large.

Strategic planning (the WBP Charrette)

The initiative leader for the charrette is Kelly Fryer-Edwards, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medical History and Ethics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. WBP will begin the strategic planning process through means of a collaborative charrette. We will be bringing together stakeholders from the scientific, medical, legal, religious, and public policy communities to develop a feasible plan that will be the basis of our 5-year strategic vision.

Alliance initiative

Debbie Cool, PhD, co-founder, Ceptyr, is spearheading the effort to identify potential partners and cultivate relationships with compatible organizations. We are traveling this fall to New York and Washington, DC to meet with think tanks and other groups that can help us further our mission.

Documentary

Film is a wonderful tool for conveying the complexity and rich emotional content of bioethical issues and their impact on women's lives. Our leads on this project are Valerie Ross, MA, behavioral scientist, and Janelle Taylor, PhD, assistant professor of medical anthropology at the University of Washington. We are in the process of determining the subject of the first documentary. Preliminary research is being conducted by WBP intern, Logan Vincent.

Please feel free to contact us with questions and suggestions. Again, many thanks for your interest in WBP. We welcome your contribution of time, talent, and financial support.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Hinsch
khinsch@womensbioethics.org
206-200-1101