November 19, 1999
Fall 1999 Symposium -
Legislating Morality: The Debate over Human Cloning
Recent scientific advances have made many ideas only possible in science fiction a reality. When researchers announced the cloned sheep, Dolly, to the world, it created unprecedented debate over the proper role of scientists, given their newfound abilities. Does the capacity to clone a living thing give us the right to do so?
While the true limits of this new technology are tested, Congress has been debating legislation which would prevent cloning of humans, or even human cells, indefinitely. This legislative reaction has sparked a wide range of debate and reflection into the proper role moral objections should have in the Legislature. Should Congress be able to regulate the progress of science? What influence do religious entities have in the formulation of such legislation? Who should decide what is in the public's best interest in this area?
The first panel of the Symposium will discuss the topic of how moral objectives shape legislation on cloning in the United States. The second panel will explore these concerns in the field of the growing national debate over the ethical implications of the science of human cloning. The Journal believes the time is ripe for a serious discourse on the future of this technology, especially the ways in which proposed federal legislation will affect business, science, and society.
Panel I: Morality in Legislation
Frank P. Grad
Professor of Law & Bioethics
Columbia University School of Law
Lori P. Knowles
Associate for Law & Bioethics
The Hastings Center
John A. Robertson
Professor of Law
University of Texas School of Law
E. Donald Shapiro
Professor of Law
New York Law School
Panel II: The Debate over Human Cloning
Charles N. Aswad, M.D.
Executive Vice President
Medical Society of the State of NY
Frances Myrna Kamm
Professor of Philosophy
New York University
Dr. Lee Silver
Professor of Molecular Biology
Princeton University