Ethical issues in Biotechnology
Program Manager – Dr Neil Levy
The extraordinary revolution in biotechnology has created new possibilities for curing disease and manipulating our genetic heritage. But it has also created numerous ethical problems that need close philosophical attention. Members of the biotechnology program have expertise in law and medicine as well as in philosophy and are increasingly working with experts in other fields on ethical issues arising from experiments on human tissue, genetic manipulation and attempts to regulate the use and development of biotechnology. Biotechnology, as well as other developments in medicine, raises difficult ethical and legal issues concerning privacy, ownership and the use of information. Members of the program are increasingly engaged in debates about these issues and are contributing to the work of regulatory bodies concerned with privacy. Philosophical attention should also be paid to the way in which biotechnological developments are affecting the way we perceive family relationships, as indicated by recent debates about paternity and paternity testing.
Core Projects
- The Ethics of Life-extending Technology
- The Ethics of Sex Selection
Program Members
- Dr Steve Clarke
- Dr Cordelia Fine
- Dr Jason Grossman
- Associate Professor Jeanette Kennett
- Dr Neil Levy
- Dr Steve Matthews
- Dr Michael Selgelid
- Professor Peter Singer
- Dr Daniel Star
Recent program Highlights
During 2006, members of the program published or had accepted for publication 19 articles in refereed journals, 7 book chapters, 2 edited books and 1 sole authored monograph; held two workshops; were awarded 4 grants wholly or partly in the program; and were involved in 1 consultancy.
Core Projects: Ethics of Sex Selection and Ethics of Life-Extension Technologies
These core projects are new, and are only just beginning to build momentum. Levy published one article on the ethics of sex selection, in the Southern Medical Journal. In addition, he pursued research on the open future argument, which lays essential groundwork for this topic. Bennett Foddy’s doctoral dissertation on the ethics of life extension neared completion, under the supervision of Levy. Foddy is already a prolific publisher on other topics, and expects publications to flow from the dissertation (either in the form of articles in refereed journals, or as a monograph). The foundation for a strong showing in 2007 was thereby laid.
Neuroethics
In 2006, the biotechnology program pioneered work in the area of neuroethics, establishing CAPPE as one of the most important centres for research on the topic in the world. Members of the program secured a large Discovery Project grant in this area, and together with Robert Sparrow at Monash another which overlaps substantially with neuroethics. We held two workshops to launch the program, one sponsored by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. In recognition of our status in this area, we received invitations to speak on neuroethical topics at conferences and workshops across the world, and either published or had accepted for publications articles and a monograph on neuroethics. The monograph, to be published by Cambridge University Press, is one of the first to be devoted to the topic, and will serve as a reference point for the entire debate. We also secured the editorship of the new journal Neuroethics, the first journal entirely devoted to the topic.
This work builds on substantial work by Kennett on neuroscience and psychology of moral judgment. Kennett pursued this work alone and together with Cordelia Fine, as well as with Phil Gerrans (Adelaide). Levy also pursued work on moral judgment. Members of the program were also very actively involved in ethical issues in the treatment of addiction, with Levy, Foddy, Kleinig and Clarke all publishing in this area.
Other Biotechnologies
Beyond neuroethics, program members were also active in other areas of biotechnology. Steve Clarke’s project on surgeons’ performance with Justin Oakley continued, with their edited volume on the topic now in press with Cambridge University Press. Michael Selgelid was active in several areas which combine welfare and biotechnology concerns. He pursued research in (1) health care in developing countries and (2) bioterrorism. Both projects have resulted in publications and consultancy documents. Together with Miller, Selgelid produced a consultancy document for the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on the Dual-Use Dilemma. Members of the program also published on the ethics of genetic testing, on assisted suicide, and on the treatment of patients in persistent vegetative states.
Other Program Highlights
From March to October 2005, Selgelid was a Temporary Advisor to the World Health Organization’s department of Ethics, Trade, Human Rights and Health Law as part of a project aimed at “Addressing Ethical Issues in Pandemic Influenza Planning”. He participated in Technical Meeting of Working Groups in Geneva on 18-19 May 2006, and contributed to a paper/report on an ongoing basis.
In October 2006 Selgelid was awarded a fully funded 6 month visit (in 2007) to the Brocher Foundation, Hermance (Geneva), Switzerland for a research/writing project on ethics and genetics.