Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Social Justice and Stem Cell Research: Who gains? Who loses? [San Diego, May 13]

The University of California, San Diego [UCSD] will host a public conference, Social Justice and Stem Cell Research: Who gains? Who loses?, on Saturday, May 13, 2006. This free event is scheduled for 10 am - 4 pm. Registration is required at http://ethicscenter.net.

The conference is presented by the UCSD Episcopal Students Association and the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology (http://ethicscenter.net). The Ethics Center is a partnership including UCSD, the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, the Salk Institute of Biological Sciences, The Burnham Institute and the Neurosciences Institute. Additional conference event sponsors include the UCSD Catholic Community, UCSD Thurgood Marshall College, The Burnham Institute, the Salk Institute, the UCSD Burke Lectureship Board, UCSD Sixth College, UCSD Health Care - Social Issues Program, the Wesley Foundation, and Saint Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral Peace & Justice Committee.

For the San Diego community, this upcoming conference will be one of the most significant public gatherings on stem cell research since the passage of Proposition 71 in November of 2004.

Four nationally respected authorities will share their expert knowledge on various aspects of this social justice question.

· Scientific Foundations. Larry Goldstein, Ph.D., UCSD professor of cellular and molecular medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Goldstein is a scientist using stem cells to attack the problem of neurodegenerative diseases and a major advocate for scientific research and the passage of Proposition 71 who has spoken around the country on stem cell issues.

· Moral Costs. Wesley Smith, J.D., Senior Fellow with the Discovery Institute in Seattle. His books include Culture of Death: The Assault on Medical Ethics in America and Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder. His current book is Consumer's Guide to Brave New World.

· Public Perceptions. John Evans, Ph.D., UCSD associate professor of sociology, author of Playing God? Human Genetic Engineering and the Rationalization of Public Bioethical Debate. From the perspective of the sociology of bioethics and science, religion and politics, Evans examines public opinion on issues such as regenerative medicine and reproductive genetic technologies.

· Political Implementation. Alta Charo, J.D., Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin and currently Visiting Professor of Law at the University of California - Berkeley. Charo serves on the NAS Board on Life Sciences and was its Liaison to the Committee on Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. She also serves on the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. She is a past member of the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel and the presidential National Bioethics Advisory Commission.

After the initial panel presentations, conference participants will meet in small groups, facilitated by leaders representing various religious, scientific, ethical, and policy perspectives.

The conference will be held in UCSD Center Hall, but attendance is limited. Registration is required at http://ethicscenter.net.

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