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For the first time in the history of bioethics, a major global law firm
makes its legal resources available, pro bono publico, for the analysis
of biotechnology and its impact on women
SEATTLE, August 4, 2005 -- The international law firm Milbank, Tweed,
Hadley & McCloy LLP will be providing a range of pro bono legal
services to the Women’s Bioethics Project, a Seattle-based non-profit
and non-partisan think tank. Milbank services will include legal
research, analysis, and counsel on a wide range of bioethics issues,
including women’s health, reproductive technologies, and the emerging
field of neuro-ethics.
Women’s Bioethics Project founder, Kathryn Hinsch, is pleased to have
the immense talent of Milbank on these issues. “We approached Milbank
because we wanted to have access to some of the most creative and
forward-thinking legal minds in the world as we tackle the legal and
ethical implications of these emerging bioethical issues. Milbank
brings a global perspective that is critical when considering
bioethical issues and their impact on women.” Hinsch stresses that
women have a special stake in bioethical issues because in addition to
being the traditional caregivers of all generations, they represent
more than half the global population and a disproportionate number of
the world’s vulnerable people.
Moya Vazquez, former biotech executive and a Women’s Bioethics Project
advisory board member notes how important the collaboration is, “This
will be the first time in the history of bioethics that such a
prominent force of legal minds will be focused on these complex
emerging issues, and when we consider that the needs of women and other
vulnerable populations are at the core of the work, we see this as a
turning point for our organization and perhaps the future of our
society. We expect great things from this relationship.”
Lisa Stone, JD, Executive Director of the Northwest Women’s Law Center
and Women’s Bioethics Project advisory board member adds, “Many people
assume that bioethical issues are largely medical or theological rather
then legal concerns, but technology has fundamentally altered the
formulation of questions balancing rights and responsibilities. We have
far more information and ability to detect problems then we had even
five years ago, yet we do not have a correspondingly well-developed
legal or ethical code or a set of principles with which to regulate
their application. We look forward to having Milbank's expert
legal advice as we develop effective public policy solutions.”
A number of Milbank partners have volunteered their time on this new
collaboration, and the effort will be lead by Richard Wight and
Elizabeth Hardin of the New York office and Sally Agel of the Los
Angeles office. Richard Wight says, “I am happy that Milbank
is on board because this is an opportunity to focus on the kinds
of health and medicine related legal issues that confront vulnerable
populations.”
Bioethics is a field that deals with issues raised by biotechnology and
medicine, such as reproductive technologies, euthanasia and assisted
suicide, the allocation of health care, cloning, medical privacy, and
informed consent of human research subjects, to name a few. Bioethics
combines elements of medicine, law, politics, philosophy, religion, and
public policy.
The Women’s Bioethics Project, a nonprofit,
nonpartisan think tank headquartered in Seattle, promotes objective
public discourse among scholars, scientists, legal practitioners,
corporate leaders, decision-makers, and the public about bioethical
issues that impact society generally, and women’s lives specifically.
Through scholarship, reports, legislative testimony, articles, public
conferences and debates, media coverage, and its own website, the
Women’s Bioethics Project works to ensure that women’s perspectives and
experiences are voiced in the public policy debate about bioethical
issues in health care and biotechnology.
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is a premier global law firm
headquartered in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C., Los
Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong and
Singapore. Milbank provides a full range of services to many of the
world’s leading financial, industrial and commercial enterprises, as
well as governments, institutions and individuals.
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