|
Many biotechnology applications have profound social and ethical
implications.
The federal government is committed to developing biotechnology in
a way that
reflects the social and ethical values of Canadians. How can this
be done in a
pluralistic society? One suggestion is to establish an ethics
framework for
biotechnology within the federal government*. Such a framework can encourage
ethical deliberation, identify value conflicts, and encourage
public participation
in the policy-making process.
An ethics framework has been defined as having three interactive
and complementary
elements*:
- a substantive element (the values that will be reflected in
policy making)
- a procedural element (how the framework will be
implemented)
- a structural element (what body or bodies will be responsible
for
implementing all or part of the framework)
France, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European
Union, and
UNESCO have included all or some of the above elements of a formal
ethics framework
in their biotechnology, bio-ethics or science policy processes.
The establishment
of CBAC can be seen as one element of such a framework for Canada
(a body that
provides advice on ethical aspects of biotechnology).
Other stakeholders such as industry groups and non-governmental
organizations also
have roles to play. For example, international biotechnology
organizations are
working together to develop a code of ethics for their industry.
Many churches
and public interest groups have also undertaken studies and have
made
recommendations in this area.
Objectives
To facilitate the integration of the social and ethical dimensions
of
biotechnology into public policy decision making and
administration.
Research Topics
- How can we identify the values that Canadians wish to see
reflected in public
policy on biotechnology?
- What procedures and/or structures need to be established to
implement these values?
- How can the effectiveness of these procedures and/or structures be
monitored and assessed?
Methodology
CBAC will strike a project steering committee to further examine
the above questions,
and to undertake public consultations.
|
Home
