Kathryn Hinsch has always been fascinated with
technology; she joined Microsoft in 1986 because she saw the potential
for technology to change how we work and live. The emergence of
biotechnology has been particularly fascinating for Ms. Hinsch because
of its potential to change the way we think about being human.
Ms. Hinsch founded the Women’s Bioethics Project in June 2004 because
of her concern that the rapid advance of biotechnology is quickly
outpacing our ability as a society to absorb the affect it will have on
our lives. From stem cell research to the Schiavo case, bioethics has
created a whole new world of issues and questions.
Ms. Hinsch was particularly driven to include women’s voices and life
experiences in debate and policymaking on bioethical issues because of how
directly women’s bodies and roles are touched by them. She believes that
women bring a vital perspective to all issues that affect society, and
therefore it is critical for their perspectives to be included in all
bioethical public policy and debate. To that end, the Women’s Bioethics
Project promotes the thoughtful application of biotechnology to improve
the status of women’s lives. It also seeks to protect vulnerable
populations by anticipating unintended consequences, safeguarding
women’s bodies from harm and ensuring that women’s life priorities are
recognized.
Ms. Hinsch was a senior executive at Microsoft Corporation for 12 years
prior to pursuing her passion for bioethics and its impact on women. At
Microsoft, she was the Senior Director of Worldwide Marketing for
Windows CE. Before joining Microsoft, she worked in a variety of public
policy and political positions.
Ms. Hinsch has held numerous leadership positions in national
organizations including the Women's Political Caucus, Business and
Professional Women, and the American Association of University Women.
Ms. Hinsch is currently a member of the Association of Bioethics and
Humanities, the Neuroethics Society, and the Association for Women in
Science.
Ms. Hinsch has a B.A. in Political Economy from the Evergreen State
College and is an alumna of the Stanford Executive Program. She was
pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree, with an emphasis on bioethics,
at Harvard University before taking a leave to found the Women’s
Bioethics Project.
She currently serves as the project’s executive director and board president.
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