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Is Bioethics Just Politics? You Have Nine Days to Decide if You Care

The meeting is called Bioethics & Politics and it is unprecedented in the history of the field. Only 9 Days Remain for early registration (a huge discount) and "21 Day Advance" fares are available for only another 8-9 days. The meeting, the official Summer Meeting of the American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities, is being held by the Alden March Bioethics Institute and The American Journal of Bioethics , in collaboration with Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics, the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, The Nelson A. Rockefeller = Institute of Government, the Albany Law School Program in Health Law & Bioethics, and the University of Virginia Center for Biomedical Ethics.

After Terri Schiavo and Stem Cells, what is bioethics? One issue after another in bioethics has become a political battleground, from HPV vaccination, to restrictions on Medicaid, to objections to emergency contraception, to physician participation in torture and executions.

Maybe bioethics was always political, but some argue that it determined a presidential election in 2004. What happens when political and religious organizations start describing themselves as bioethics centers? Can bioethics survive separate journals, educational programs, commissions and researchers for the right and left wing? Or is bioethics' role in political controversy a sign of its health and influence?

Alden March Bioethics Institute (AMBI) in Albany, New York will bring together an exceptional array of scholars and others from the left and the right for a special American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities Summer Conference, in collaboration with Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics, the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the Albany Law School Program in Health Law & Bioethics, the University of Virginia Center for Biomedical Ethics and The American Journal of Bioethics.

Who is Speaking?

Dinner and the John A. Balint Lecture will set the tone for the conference, given by sitting Chair of the President's Council on Bioethics Edmund Pellegrino of Georgetown University, to be followed by a dessert reception. Then Nigel Cameron, Arthur Caplan, Alta Charo, Eric Cohen, Richard Doerflinger, James Fossett, Jeffrey Kahn, Glenn McGee, David Magnus, Chris Mooney, Jonathan Moreno, Alicia Ouellette, Sean Philpott, William F. May, Wesley Smith, Bonnie Steinbock, Gerald and Paul Root Wolpe, Laurie Zoloth and more than 40 others in papers and panels from both sides of the aisle - an unbelievable line up of dozens of major figures any five of whom would make for an electric debate, including some who never shared a podium.

Join us July 13-14, 2006 at the Albany Crowne Plaza Hotel for a summit that is unprecedented in bioethics' history: left meets right, political meets academic, religious meet secular. And the politics are unpredictable. What is a neoconservative bioethicist? What is a progressive bioethicist?

How Do I Attend?

You register quickly. You can register online right here: https://ssl.perfora.net/politics.bioethics.net/registration.php. Conference attendance is strictly limited to 150. Early registration - with a significant discount - ends June 22, which is also the magic "21 day advance" date for booking flights. Special rates have been arranged with the Crowne Plaza for the evenings of the 12th-14th; call 1-800-227-6963 and mention that you are with the Albany Med conference to make hotel reservations. The hotel has free shuttle service to Albany airport.

If you email us (bloggers@bioethics.org) that you have registered, we'll also sign you up for a special free-drinks "blog people" reception to take place after the conference, assuming you every leave your house.

Albany is the U.S.' 9th cheapest city to fly into, and is well served by all major domestic carriers including Southwest. It is possible to depart on Thursday morning July 13th from most of the U.S. and arrive in time for the opening of the conference, and to depart on the Friday evening (7/14) in time to arrive in many destinations. Albany/Rensselaer Amtrak station offers constant direct train service to NYC Penn Station and direct trains to Boston and Montreal.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions about continuing education credits, discounted rates for students or groups of students or faculty, or how to enjoy the area before and after the conference, please contact Marlena Schreifels, Education Coordinator for Albany Med, at (518) 262-5828 or contact conference chairman Glenn McGee.