Annual Report 2007 NUFFIELD COUNCIL on BIOETHICS 2007 CONTENTS
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Annual Report 2007 NUFFIELD COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS 2007 CONTENTS Published by Contents Nuffield Council on Bioethics 28 Bedford Square London WC1B 3JS About the Council 2 Telephone +44 (0)20 7681 9619 Fax +44 (0)20 7637 1712 Foreword by the Chairman 6 Email [email protected] Website www.nuffieldbioethics.org A note from the Director 7 ISBN 978-1-904384-18-2 © Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2008 Publications during 2007 Forensic use of bioinformation: ethical issues 8 All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, no part of the publication may be produced, stored Public health: ethical issues 14 in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without prior permission of the copyright owners. New projects: Dementia 20 Designed by Redesign 020 8805 9585 Future work 22 Printed in the UK Previous work 23 External relations 24 Financial report 29 List of publications to date 30 NUFFIELD COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS 2007 NUFFIELD COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS 2007 2 ABOUT THE COUNCIL ABOUT THE COUNCIL 3 Council members Professor Sir Bob Hepple QC FBA Professor Peter Harper Mr Anatole Kaletsky Dr Bronwyn Parry (Chairman, until December 2007) Peter Harper is University Research Anatole Kaletsky is Editor at Large of Bronwyn Parry is Reader in Geography Bob Hepple is Emeritus Master of Professor in Human Genetics, Cardiff The Times of London and a founding at Queen Mary, University of London. Clare College, Emeritus Professor of University. His research interests partner of an economic, political and She is an economic and cultural Law at the University of Cambridge, include inherited neurological financial consultancy firm. He has 30 geographer interested in the way About the Council and a barrister at Blackstone disorders, especially Huntington’s years of experience as a journalist on human-environment relations are Changes in membership Chambers, London. In 2007, he was disease and myotonic dystrophy. publications such as The Financial being recast by technological, The Nuffield Council on Bioethics examines ethical appointed judge of the United He has been extensively involved Times and The Economist. economic and regulatory changes. After leading the Council for the past five years, issues raised by new developments in biology and Nations Administrative Tribunal. in the practice and development of She has acted as consultant to the UK Professor Sir Bob Hepple’s chairmanship of the medicine, with a view to providing independent In 2006–7, Professor Hepple chaired genetic counselling. Dr Rhona Knight FRCGP Government and the United Nations. Council came to an end in December 2007. advice to policy makers and stimulating debate in the Council’s Working Party on Rhona Knight has a portfolio career Professor Hepple chaired the Council’s Working bioethics. It does this by setting up expert Working The forensic use of bioinformation. The Rt Rev Lord Harries of in medicine. She works as a General Professor Hugh Perry FMedSci Party on Genetics and human behaviour in 2002, Parties on specific topics, which consider the issues Pentregarth DD FKC FRSL Practitioner and is involved in medical Hugh Perry is Professor of before being appointed Chair of the Council at the over a period of one to two years. After listening to Professor Peter Smith CBE FMedSci HonFMedSci education in Leicester. She has a Experimental Neuropathology at the beginning of 2003. More recently he headed the the views of stakeholders, a thorough analysis of (Deputy Chairman) Lord Harries was Bishop of Oxford particular interest in making bioethical University of Southampton and Working Party on The Forensic use of bioinformation. Peter Smith is Professor of Tropical from 1987 to 2006. He is Chair of issues accessible and understandable Director of Southampton the evidence and a public consultation, the Council He is succeeded by Professor Albert Weale, Epidemiology at the London School the Ethics and Law Advisory Group to non-specialist audiences. Dr Knight Neuroscience Group. He is currently publishes its conclusions and recommendations. Professor of Government at the University of Essex. of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the HFEA, and was formerly Dean is a member of the Council’s Reaching Chair of the Wellcome Trust Molecular In the past, we have considered topics as diverse and a Governor of the Wellcome of King’s College, London where he Out to Young People Advisory Group. and Cellular Neuroscience Committee. as genetic screening, genetically modified crops, Trust. His research interests include is Honorary Professor of Theology. Professor Albert Weale the treatment of premature babies and the use of large-scale trials of vaccines and other He chaired the House of Lords Select Lord Krebs Kt FRS FMedSci Lord Plant of Highfield (Chairman from January 2008) animals in research. The Council is an independent interventions against tropical diseases. Committee on Stem Cell Research. (until November 2007) (until October 2007) Albert Weale is Professor of body funded jointly by the Nuffield Foundation, the Lord Krebs is Principal of Jesus College, Lord Plant was Master of St Government at the University of Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. Professor Roger Brownsword Professor Ray Hill FMedSci Oxford. He is the former Chairman Catherine’s College, Oxford from 1994 Essex where his academic interests In 2007, it published two major reports, on the Roger Brownsword is Director of the Ray Hill is Head of Licensing and of the Foods Standards Agency and to 2000 before returning to focus on political theory and public policy. He is co-editor of the British forensic use of bioinformation and public health. Centre for Technology, Law, Ethics External Research for Europe at former Chief Executive of the Natural Southampton University as Professor and Society (TELOS), School of Law, Merck, Sharp and Dohme. He is a Environment Research Council. of European Politics until 2002. He is Journal of Political Science. King’s College London, and Honorary pharmacologist with a special interest His areas of interest include ecology now Professor of Legal and Political http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/go/aboutus/councilmembers_6.html The Council’s terms of reference require it: Professor in Law at the University of in pain and headache research and is and behaviour, and the relationship Philosophy at King’s College London. The Council welcomed Professor Tony Hope, who 1. to identify and define ethical questions raised Sheffield. Research interests include a Visiting Professor at Bristol, Surrey between science and policy. Lord is co-opted to the Council for the period of the by recent advances in biological and medical legal theory, bioethics and the and Strathclyde Universities. He is Krebs chaired the Council’s Working Professor Nikolas Rose Working Party on Dementia: ethical issues,which research in order to respond to, and to anticipate, regulation of technology. a non-executive Director of the Party on Public Health: ethical issues Nikolas Rose is the James Martin he is chairing. Dr Alan Williamson and Lord Plant public concern; Babraham Institute, Cambridge. and was a co-opted member of the White Professor of Sociology at reached the end of their term on Council in 2007. 2. to make arrangements for examining and Professor Sir Kenneth Calman Council for the duration of the the London School of Economics Lord Krebs was a co-opted member for the duration KCB FRSE Professor Søren Holm committee’s work. and Political Science, and Director reporting on such questions with a view to of the Working Party on public health. At the start Kenneth Calman is Chancellor Søren Holm is Professorial Fellow of the LSE’s BIOS Centre for the promoting public understanding and discussion; of 2008, the Council welcomes new members this may lead, where needed, to the formulation of the University of Glasgow. in Bioethics at Cardiff Law School, Professor Peter Lipton FMedSci Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, He was Vice-Chancellor of Durham and part-time Professor of Medical (deceased, November 2007) Biotechnology and Society. Dr Amanda Burls and Professor Jonathan Wolff. of new guidelines by the appropriate regulatory University until 2007. He trained Ethics at the University of Oslo, Peter Lipton was Head of the His current research is on the social or other body; in surgery and was formerly Chief Norway. He is a medical doctor Department of History and Philosophy and political implications of the 3. in the light of the outcome of its work, to publish Medical Officer for Scotland and and philosopher and was a member of Science and Fellow of King’s College new sciences of the brain. reports; and to make representations, as the Image credit: England, and Chairman of the WHO of the Danish Council of Ethics Howard Guest at the University of Cambridge Council may judge appropriate. Executive Board. From 2003 until from 1994–1999. He is the (see page 4). Dr Alan Williamson FRSE January 2008 Professor Calman President-Elect of the European (until January 2007) Detailed information about the Council and its work chaired the Council’s sub-group on Society for the Philosophy of Professor Alison Murdoch FRCOG Alan Williamson is a consultant on can be found at: www.nuffieldbioethics.org Reaching Out to Young People. Medicine and Health Care. Alison Murdoch is Professor of biotechnology. He is a member of the Reproductive Medicine, a consultant Advisory Council to the National Professor Sian Harding FAHA Professor Tony Hope gynaecologist and Head of the NHS Human Genome Research Institute of Sian Harding is Professor of Cardiac (from November 2007) Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life. the National Institutes of Health, USA. Pharmacology at the National Heart Tony Hope is Professor of Medical She is involved in setting clinical He was Vice-President, Basic Research, and Lung Institute, a Division of the Ethics, University of Oxford, and an standards, embryo research, stem cell Immunology and Inflammation and Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist.