A new report finds that the complex issues raised by releasing gene-edited species into the environment demand broad public engagement. The benefits of research involving gene editing in the wild are potentially transformative--such as preventing mosquitoes from spreading deadly disease and conserving endangered species. But this work poses major trade-offs that require the public’s consideration. The Hastings Center special report, the product of a National Science Foundation-funded project, takes up fundamental questions such as: how should public deliberation be designed? Who should participate? How should deliberation be linked to policy? Read the report.
Pandemic Lessons: How Should We Live Together?
Hastings Center president Mildred Solomon took stock of lessons learned from the pandemic, with a focus on bioethics, justice, and the common good. “Why, two years in, are we still facing huge challenges?” she asked in a recent talk at the Mayo Clinic. “After all, a lot has gone right. Science has come through in a nearly miraculous way, bringing effective vaccines and promising therapeutics—at least to those of us in wealthy nations.” Bioethics has guided Covid research oversight and clinical decision-making. “But neither science nor bioethics has been effective on many larger policy questions – big questions that bear on how we should live together in managing this pandemic and the pandemics that will undoubtedly follow. Watch Solomon’s talk.
Studying Covid Vaccines in the Youngest Kids
Authorization of a Covid vaccine for children under 5 isn’t expected until next summer. Meanwhile, children are suffering both physically and mentally as a result of the pandemic. Ian Wolfe and John Lantos, a Hastings Center fellow, propose a novel kind of study that would permit vaccination of the youngest children without waiting until traditional randomized trials can be completed. Read “Studying Covid Vaccines in the Youngest Kids” in Hastings Bioethics Forum.
In the Media: IVF Mix-Up
Hastings Center director of research Josephine Johnston responded to recent news of an IVF mix-up in which two women treated at a reproductive health clinic in California delivered each other’s babies. How often do such errors occur? “We don’t routinely do genetic testing on IVF babies as a follow-up to an IVF birth; we don’t know how often mix-ups happen,” Johnston said in an interview with Health. She said that one way to learn more and possibly improve safety and accountability is to expand insurance coverage of fertility treatments, which are often paid for privately. Expanding insurance coverage could yield more data about practices and increase attention to clinics’ safety and quality practices. Read the article.
Anita Allen Honored
The American Philosophical Association has selected Anita Allen, a Hastings Center fellow and former board member, as the 2021 winner of its Philip L. Quinn Prize, the greatest tribute that the association offers in recognition of service to philosophy and philosophers. Allen is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more.
Upcoming Events
"Righting the Wrongs: Tackling Health Inequities," a Hastings Center event in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Nurses Association, and the American Medical Association. January 19th & 20th, 2022.
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