Biology, ethics, and public policy: deliberations at an unstable intersection

Abstract

Biology, ethics, and politics intersect in many public policy issues. The unique features of the meeting point in each case are affected by changes in scientific and technological knowledge, moral analysis in a pluralistic society, and political relations. No one of the three can be ignored without repercussions. This essay, however, concentrates on ethics. The ethical dimension must allow for genuine differences in fundamental moral stance, which always persist alongside scientific developments. Two scientific/medical issues with considerable ethical and political implications are discussed: (1) application of human embryonic stem cell research in regenerative medicine and (2) neuroscientific reductionism in the context of behavioral research and moral responsibility. Public advisory committees and other governmental structures for pursuing public policy should not rely merely on cost-benefit analysis to form policy, as if it were uniquely objective, but should also recognize the necessity of considering science and ethics together as two separate yet complementary foundations of policy. Minimizing the distinctness of the biological and ethical dimensions will make any conclusions unstable and their later implementation more difficult.