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Topics Include Designer Babies, Genetic Engineering and Cloning
SEATTLE, October 12, 2006—In an effort to help the public make sense of
an escalating number of news stories about “designer babies,” genetic
engineering and cloning, the Women’s Bioethics Project (WBP) today
announced the launch of its first series of podcasts, titled “The
Scientist & the Ethicist.”
“The Scientist & the Ethicist” series presents conversations with
prominent bioethicists discussing topical ethical issues related to
reproductive and genetic technologies and the impact of these growing
fields on women and their families. The podcast conversations will help
listeners of all ages develop a better understanding of current ethical
controversies and the complexities associated with such technologies as
genetic engineering and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Each
podcast episode in the series is freely available for download or
computer listening at http://www.womensbioethics.org.
“The podcasts cover a variety of ethical and legal questions behind the
new genetic and reproductive technologies people hear about in the
media,” said Emilie Clemmens, Ph.D., a research fellow at WBP and host
of the podcasts. “Leading bioethicists from the fields of law, medicine
and philosophy provide diverse perspectives on such questions as,
‘Should parents be allowed to choose their children’s genes?’”
Dr. Clemmens, a scientist with training in physiology and
bioengineering, has interviewed several prominent ethicists for this
series:
- Warren P. Knowles professor of
law and bioethics, University of Wisconsin Law and Medical Schools
- associate executive director, Center for Genetics and Society
- core faculty at Alden March Bioethics Institute (AMBI), research fellow at the University of Vermont
- director, Center for
Professional and Applied Ethics, University of North Carolina at
Charlotte
- former staff director,
National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical
and Behavioral Research and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“The Scientist & the Ethicist” podcast series is funded in part by
a grant from Humanities Washington, a nonprofit foundation providing
cultural and education programs. The podcasts are an extension of the
Women’s Bioethics Project Book Club, which encourages book clubs across
America to read popular works of fiction that raise bioethical issues
and to use WBP-provided discussion materials to evaluate the various
bioethics issues presented.
The Women’s Bioethics Project is an independent, nonpartisan,
public-policy think tank based in Seattle. WBP is dedicated to ensuring
that women’s voices, health concerns and unique life experiences will
be represented in discussions and decisions about ethical issues in
healthcare and biotechnology.
Women’s Bioethics Project
WEBSITE: http://www.womensbioethics.org
CONTACT: Kathryn Hinsch at 206-200-1101 or email info@womensbioethics.org.
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