I’ve been reading some of the public material on the new President’s Council on Bioethics, because I can’t for the life of me figure out what they do. I do know that they’re called the “Presidential Council for the Study of Bioethical Issues” now. Same domain name, different panel. It seems as if Obama was so against the old commission that he had to destroy it and create a new one from scratch, which highlights the transitory and low-power nature of the body.
Checking out the background materials section of their website, I was compelled to click on the first presentation at meeting two, “Oversight of Emerging Technologies”. It outlines important overall characteristics of this panel. Their mission is as follows:
1. To monitor scientific/medical developments (“advancesâ€) and identify the issues they will raise for society 2. To bridge divide between science and society 3. To articulate the range of views on controversial subjects, To inform the political process & policymaking 4. To provide guidance to individuals & healthcare professionals 5. To provide recommendations to …