Hastings strategic plan; bioethics and social justice; third person in room; gene editing summit
Latest News
May 1, 2025
Hastings Center Unveils Strategic Plan: 2025-2029 A path forward for bioethics, a new name for Hastings
The Hastings Center for Bioethics launched its five-year strategic plan at a public event in New York City on April 24. Hundreds attended in person at Rockefeller University and via livestream for the Daniel Callahan Annual Lecture marking the plan’s public release. Entitled “The Hastings Center Vision: A Path Forward for Bioethics,” the event featured Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky; Joshua Boger, founder and CEO (former) of Vertex Pharmaceuticals; and Gina Kolata, a New York Times health and science reporter. They discussed the strategic plan and its relevance to current challenges. Read more. Watch the video of event.
Should Bioethics Prioritize Social Justice? Survey reveals attitudes toward social justice obligations
While bioethics is evolving from a focus on dilemmas at the bedside to also include a broader examination of the social and political issues that influence health and health care systems, how strongly do bioethicists feel compelled to integrate social justice into their work? A new survey of 355 bioethicists in the U.S. and Canada finds strong support for doing so, concludes a paper by Hastings Center research associate Danielle Pacia, medical student and former Hastings project manager and research assistant Sana Baban, Hastings Center Fellow Faith Fletcher, and coauthors. Their survey also underscores the need for institutions to support these efforts. Read the article in AJOB Empirical Bioethics. (Subscription required for full text.)
Abortion Bans and the "Third Person" in the Room Study identifies impact on patient-physician relationship
Hastings Center Fellow Mara Buchbinder and colleagues have been studying the impacts of the Dobbs decision on obstetrician-gynecologists in states with near-total bans on abortion. OB-GYNS discuss “a wide range of morally distressing scenarios, which include managing obstetric emergencies as well as more mundane challenges for the patient-physician relationship,” writes Buchbinder in the Hastings Center Report. Doctors talk about the threat of being secretly surveilled for potentially illegal activity, referencing a figurative “third person” who stepped between the physician and the patient. Read the Hastings Center Report commentary. (Subscription required for full text.)
Register Now: International Summit of the Global Observatory for Genome Editing Learn about biotechnologies that are altering the meaning of being human
Registration is open for the 2025 International Summit of the Global Observatory for Genome Editing. Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky is among a rich mix of speakers who will discuss biotechnologies that are altering the meaning of being human. The three-day Summit expands the range of experience and perspectives that should have a voice in these conversations. It aims to offer new foundations for deliberating on biotechnology as a force for human progress. May 21-23, in Cambridge, Ma., and virtual. Learn more and register.
The Hastings Center seeks to ensure responsible health and science policy and practice. We work to secure the wisest possible use of emerging technologies and fair, compassionate, and just health care for people across their lifespan.
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