Professor Jonathan Montgomery, Professor of Health Care Law at UCL Faculty of Laws, addressed the final meeting of the US Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues on 31 August in Philadelphia.
As one of only two non-Americans amongst the nine speakers at the 26th Meeting of the Bioethics Commission, Professor Montgomery spoke on the topic of ‘Public Bioethics and the Virtues of National Ethics Committees’, as part of a session on ‘Reflecting on the Past, Present and Future Impact of National Bioethics Advisory Bodies’.
Professor Montgomery’s presentation used examples from his public service roles as Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Health Research Authority, while also drawing on his academic work on Bioethics as a Governance Practice, which feeds into the Bioethics Governance LLM Module at UCL Faculty of Laws.
Professor Montgomery said:
‘The transition between presidents offers an excellent opportunity for the USA to reflect on the past practice of national bioethics commissions in order to inform their future. It was a privilege to present a UK perspective on their roles as the consciences of government, peoples, and even potentially the world, as part of governance activities that promote the responsible and accountable harnessing of science and medicine for the benefit of society.’
The Bioethics Commission advises the US President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology.
Watch Professor Montgomery’s presentation (Begins at 46 minutes into Session Two)
Read Professor Montgomery’s presentation (Opens in new link)