2003 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Irish Council for Bioethics
Comhairle Bitheitice na h�ireann
Irish Council for Bioethics

Pictured at the official launch of the Irish Council for Bioethics on January 22nd 2003 are: R-L: Dr Siobh�n O'Sullivan, Scientific Director; Dr Michael Ryan, President, Royal Irish Academy; T�naiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Mary Harney, T.D., and Prof Pat Fottrell, Chairman of the Irish Council for Bioethics.

Bioethics is a discipline dealing with the ethical implications of biological research and medicine. Bioethics was born out of questions generated by the rapid medical and technological advances, such as genetic engineering, made in the last 30 years. The choices facing physicians, scientists and society at large are becoming increasingly difficult with the advance of medical and biological technology. Bioethics serves as a tool to make moral choices and to decide issues of public policy and the direction and control of science.

In March 1999, the Irish Government established an Inter-Departmental Group on Modern Technology. The group published a report in October 2000, which recommended that a National Ethics Committee should be established which would consider 'ethical issues raised by biotechnology in an informed, dispassionate and independent way'. The Irish Council for Bioethics/Comhairle Bitheitice na h�ireann was subsequently established in 2002 as an independent, autonomous, body to consider the ethical issues raised by recent developments in science and medicine. The Council was formally inaugurated by the T�naiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Mary Harney, T.D., at the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, in January, 2003. Speaking at the launch, the T�naiste outlined the importance and relevance of such work. She said 'The Irish Council for Bioethics has an important role to play in these ever changing times, and the independent status will be vital to ensure a fair and unbiased approach to their work programme and published works'.

The Irish Council for Bioethics has a current membership of 21, comprising lawyers, scientists, philosophers and journalists, who have been invited to join by virtue of their expertise - not as representatives of professional bodies.

The chairman of the Council is Professor Patrick Fottrell MRIA, the former President of National University of Ireland, Galway, and biochemist. Referring to the mixed disciplines of the Council's membership, Professor Fottrell noted: 'only interdisciplinary cooperation can bring about an effective exploration of the complex ethical questions which biotechnology brings'.

There are currently three working groups operating within the Irish Council for Bioethics. The Human Biological Material group is examining ethical issues relating to the collection, use, retention and disposal of human biological material. The ethical issues that must be considered from the point of view of the researcher, the research evaluator and the participant in the research are being examined. The working group on Genetically Modified Organisms will report on the ethical issues surrounding Genetically Modified Food/Crops in the medical, industrial and agricultural arenas, with particular reference to the Irish setting. The aim of the working group on Ethics Committees is to produce guidance on the composition, structure and operation of Ethics Committees in Ireland.

The council's main objective is to identify and research questions relating to biological and medical research, in order to increase public awareness and understanding, and stimulate informed debate through conferences, workshops and public lectures.


Council Members
Professor Patrick Fottrell (Chairperson)

Professor Peter Whittaker �(Joint Vice-Chairperson)

Mr Dermot Gleeson �(Joint Vice-Chairperson)

Mr Matt Dempsey

Dr Dolores Dooley

Dr Margaret Fitzgerald

Dr Patrick Flanagan

Professor Patrick Hannon

Canon Kenneth Kearon

Professor Cecily Kelleher

Professor Mark Lawler

Professor Tony McGleenan

Dr Peter McKenna

Ms Mary Mulvihill

Dr Nora O'Brien

Professor Fergal O'Gara

Professor Ronan O' Regan

Professor Ann Scott

Mr Asim Sheikh

Professor Se�n Strain

Dr Siobh�n O'Sullivan �(Scientific Director)

Contact: Dr. Siobh�n O'Sullivan, Scientific Director, Irish Council for Bioethics, Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2;
Tel: 01 6611901; E-mail: [email protected] ; Web: www.bioethics.ie