HISTORY AND FUTURE OF BIOETHICS

Abstract

On August 9, 2001, President George Bush made his first formal media address to the American people. In this first speech, delivered from his home in Crawford, Texas, he announced his decision to allow federal funds to support research only on existing stem-cell lines, and concluded what was, in effect, a moral sermon as much as a policy statement with the words, “As we go forward, I hope we will always be guided by both intellect and heart, by our capabilities and our conscience”.¹ This was an extraordinary moment. One commentator noted that the President chose to appear before the nation for the first time as a bioethicist! His decision came after months of public debate that had exposed the American people and its politicians to a large dose of bioethical language and argument. I intend to use this event to illustrate the nature of American bioethics. I shall suggest that its general contours follow the lines of moral argument that are deeply drawn in American history, and then comment on the role of the American bioethics community in the debates and the policy formulation. Finally, I will attempt to relate this American story to the broader theme announced in my title, the “History and Future of Bioethics”.