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Centre Of Bioethical Research & Analysis (COBRA)
Resources:
Bioethics Organisations
A brief note: in this and many of our resource pages, you will see both Hiberno-English and American English spellings in the names/titles of organisations, databases, networks, lists etc. When referring to the organisation, their spelling will be deferred to but Hiberno-English will be used in general descriptions.
This page provides a brief description and links to a selection of bioethics organisations, divided into two sections:
For information on bioethics Networks, Listservs and Blogs, please click here.
I. Bioethics Councils, Working Groups and Centres/Centers
In this section, the organisations are divided into four geographical categories:
A. Ireland
Irish Council for Bioethics
The Irish Council for Bioethics, founded in 2000, is the national advisory body for the government, which develops statements and policy proposals regarding bioethical issues that arise in Irish society. Its proceedings and reports are all publicly available on the Council's website, including:
-
Operational Procedures for Research Ethics Committees: Guidance 2004
-
Human Biological Material: Recommendations for Collection, Use and Storage in Research 2005”.
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B. United Kingdom
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
The Nuffield Council was founded in 1991 by the Nuffield Foundation. It is currently funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. While being an independent body, it fulfills many of the roles that national bioethics councils fulfill in other countries. The Nuffield Council has produced reports on a variety of bioethical issues that are freely available for
download (in pdf format) by the public, including e.g. a very comprehensive recent report on "
The ethics of research involving animals" (2005). Their facebook page can be found
here.
The Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is an independent charity that is dedicated to improving human and animal health, mostly through funding research projects in a broad range of biomedical areas. While it is not a dedicated Bioethics Centre, it addresses bioethical issues as part of its mission. It has links to the Nuffield Foundation and also funds bioethical research projects in the area of genetics, mental health/neuroscience and ethics of biomedical research in developing countries.
For details of previously funded projects click here. Their facebook page can be found here.
C. Europe
The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE)
The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) is "a neutral, independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary body, composed of fifteen experts appointed by the [European] Commission for their expertise and personal qualities". The main purpose of the EGE is to explore ethical aspects of developments in science and technology and issue opinion documents to the European Commission prior to the preparation or implementation of Community legislation and/or policies.
The website has a Flash Infos menu (on the right) where you will find links to recent publications of the EGE and EU and other international organisations that have bioethical relevance. There are links to the European Commission and European Parliament as well as the Forum for National Ethics Committees. There is also a publications page, where opinion documents, surveys, newsletters and proceedings are available for free download in pdf format. Some publications available in multiple languages.
Publications include:
- Opinion on the ethical aspects of nanomedicine (Opinion No.21, January 2007) [pdf 4.209 Kb]
-
Opinion on the ethical aspects of umbilical cord banking (Opinion No.19, March 2004) [pdf 28, 488 Kb]
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D. North America
The Hastings Center
The Hastings Center was founded in 1969. It was one of the first centres worldwide to address bioethical issues and remains an influential voice in the field. It is an independent nonprofit research institute that is not affiliated to any particular institution. Its most well know publication is the bimonthly
Hastings Center Report. Their facebook page can be found
here.
It is worth checking their website regularly: some articles are free to download for the public. They also publish the
Bioethics Forum, an online forum dedicated to information and commentary on events or developments that are relevant to bioethics.
Kennedy Institute of Ethics
The Kennedy Institute of Ethics was founded in 1971 and is affiliated to Georgetown University (the reason why the prominent "Principle-Based Approach" to biomedical ethics is sometimes referred to as the "Georgetown mantra"). More information on the centre is available
here. Their facebook page can be found
here.
Its most well-known publication is the quarterly Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal. Some interesting resources are linked to the Center's website: The
National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, probably the largest collection of bioethics literature in the world, allows you to perform searches in the bioethical literature. They also have a link to the site of the
High School Bioethics Curriculum Project, one of the Center's projects, that offers publicly accessible teaching resources that are suitable for high school students on issues like organ transplantation or eugenics.
The Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB)
The Joint Centre for Bioethics is a partnership between the University of Toronto, Canada and affiliated healthcare organisations in Toronto. The JCB studies important ethical, health-related topics through research and clinical activities with a network of over 180 multidisciplinary professionals seeking to improve health care standards at both national and international levels.
The website has links to research networks (Canadian); an education section where visitors can sign up for webcasts of the many seminars run by the JCB; a
research section (with publications list); a
clinical ethics section with an extensive clinical ethics bibliography and some downloadable pdf documents; and a public outreach section (for Canadian audience). This site will be most beneficial for bioethics students and researchers.
The President's Council on Bioethics
The President’s Council on Bioethics is a comparatively new institution in the field. It was founded in 2001, after George W. Bush came to office. It serves as an advisory body for the President of the United States. Its membership consists of prominent members from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, including well-known bioethicists.
The Council has produced a number of publications on relevant bioethical issues. It is sometimes criticised that the work of the current Council has a conservative bias, but don't let that deter you from exploring what they have to offer. One report that received particular attention in the bioethics literature addressed ethical issues in the use of enhancement technologies: " Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness" (2003).
The International Neuroethics Society
The interdisciplinary society emerged from a meeting in California in 2006. Its main aim is to promote interaction and discussion within the field, with an international focus. They set up outreach programmes, engage in public discussion, and education of pressing moral issues within the field of neuroethics. The site has access to a number of resources once you have joined, such as a neuroethics' syllabi.
Society for Philosophy and Psychology
This society provides a basis for philosophically intrigued psychologists and for psychologically interested philosophers to discuss and interact over topical areas bordering the two disciplines. Established in 1974, it offers prizes to its members for their contribution to the area, holds annual meetings, and offers programs of the events here.
E. International/Other
WHO
The World Health Organisation publishes an overview of their
ethics related activities on their website. It has an
Ethics Committee that addresses different health related ethical issues, with a range of
publications available for download. The WHO also offers places for
interns and volunteers.
UNESCO International Bioethics Committee
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established the International Bioethics Committee in statute in 1998. The Director-General convenes the IBC at least once a year. Through sessions and the activities of the working groups, the Committee produces advice and recommendations on specific issues that are adopted by consensus and are widely disseminated and submitted to the Director-General for transmission to the Member States, the Executive Board and the General Conference.
Reports, recommendations and advices documents and publications of the Committee are freely available to download (in pdf format) and there are also convenient links to many international declarations and instruments, such as
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II . Ethics and Law Organisations
Cardiff Centre for Ethics, Law and Society (CCELS)
The Cardiff Centre for Ethics, Law and Society (part of the School of Law, Cardiff University) aims to connect researchers and practitioners in medicine, science, information technology , the social sciences and humanities. The Contacts and Links page has links to several directories including an extensive directory of ethics centres and networks.Bioethics (Council of Europe)
The Council of Europe has established a Bioethics Convention of Human Rights and Biomedicine, which aims to encourage the establishment and development of democratic institutions and procedures at national, regional and local level, and to promote dignity of the human being with regard the application of biology and medicine.
British and Irish Legal Information Institute
The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) hosts a database, which provides access to British and Irish case law & legislation, European Union case law, Law Commission reports, and other law-related British and Irish material. There are also links to law resources for other countries.
Irish Law
This site is hosted by the Faculty of Law, University College Cork (UCC). The site contains links to all the major resources concerning Irish law, including pages on specific subjects such as Constitutional Law and Human Rights Law. It also includes a link to the searchable archive of IrishLaw discussion-list messages and the facility to join a low-traffic ’Updates’ list.This page was last updated Thursday, September 01, 2011