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Science, politics and the President's Council on Bioethics

Nature Biotechnology volume 22, pages 509–510 (2004)Cite this article

Though the reports produced by the US President's Council on Bioethics have not yet had a dramatic effect on public debates in the United States, the Council itself is back in the limelight following the departures of Elizabeth Blackburn and William F. May and the additions of Benjamin Carson, Peter Lawler and Diana Schaub1. The White House announced changes to the membership of the Council on February 27, 2004 (ref. 2). Although the terms of all Council members expired in January, Blackburn and May were the only members not to have their appointments renewed. May's departure was characterized as a retirement, though May seemed unaware that he was retiring from the Council3. Blackburn states that she was removed from the Council because of her strong support of human embryonic stem (ES) cell research and emphasis upon recognizing the benefits of biomedical research4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Studies of Medicine, Biomedical Ethics Unit, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3647 Peel Street, Montreal, H3A 1X1, Quebec, Canada

    Leigh Turner

  2. Institute for Advanced Study, School of Social Science, Princeton, 08540, New Jersey, USA

    Leigh Turner

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Turner, L. Science, politics and the President's Council on Bioethics. Nat Biotechnol 22, 509–510 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0504-509

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