Restoring the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical issues: Recommendation to the Biden Administration

On behalf of the Bioethical Issues Committee (the “Committee”) of the New York City Bar Association (the “City Bar”), we would like to congratulate you on winning the 2020 election and offer our help and advice on the proposal discussed below.

Our Committee examines the ethical and legal implications of health-related matters.  The Committee is part of the New York City Bar Association, a voluntary organization whose more than 25,000 members, from all parts of our nation, are committed to improving the administration of justice and the rule of law.  The City Bar has a longstanding mission to equip and mobilize the legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law and advocate for access to justice in support of a fair society.  For the reasons explained below, we urge you to restore the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the “Commission”).

The Commission was first established in 1974 to provide expert advice on bioethical issues by leading experts in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering.  The Commission sought to identify and promote policies and practices to ensure that scientific research, health care delivery, and technological innovation would be conducted in a socially and ethically responsible manner.  The Commission’s work continued through different administrations and changes in focus, and it developed incisive reports on topics that included Ebola, neuroscience, privacy and genome sequencing, stem cell research, the criteria for foregoing life-sustaining treatment and defining death, and participation of human subjects in research.  The Commission also created educational materials.  The Commission was disbanded in January 2017, but its website and records have been maintained for historical purposes.[1]

As the pandemic has tragically underscored, careful thought and deliberation are plainly needed when addressing complex and intractable problems in bioethics and beyond.  This was the Commission’s mandate, and our Committee encourages your administration to reinstate it.  We are available to help in whatever way we can to make this happen.  We remain committed to the study and advancement of bioethics to help create a more equitable world for all.

Bioethical Issues Committee
Alan J. Brudner, Chair
January 2021