 | Françoise Baylis Professor and Canada Research Chair - Dalhousie University Law, Bioethics - Medical ethics |
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01.10.2015-29.10.2015
Impact Ethics
Accountability is a notoriously difficult concept to define given the scope of practice in policy-making. My starting assumption is that bioethicists engaged in policy work should eschew “cheap” ethics and embrace Impact Ethics. Bioethicists who do policy work must be accountable to all those potentially affected by the policy deliberations, and at a minimum this accountability requires transparency and reason-giving for positions taken, and policy options advocated. My research will explore the implications of three further assumptions. First, bioethicists engaged in policy work should be accountable for the research programs they undertake. The concern here is with the excessive attention to high-tech issues (e.g., cognitive enhancement) at the expense of low-tech issues (e.g., clean water, hospice care) that affect a significantly larger percentage of the population. Second, bioethicists should be accountable for the level of expertise they bring to policy deliberations and this should include a deep understanding of relevant theoretical, factual and practical issues. The concern here is with those who presume ethics expertise on most if not all topics, thereby failing to appreciate the depth and range of knowledge and experience needed to advise on discrete policy matters. Third, bioethicists should be accountable for the way(s) in which they contribute to the “framing” of policy issues and options. Concern here is with the obligation to address systemic economic, social and political injustices (instead of taking these for granted), and to question the dominant assumption that human well-being can properly be measured in terms of productivity, material goods, or technological progress. -
01.07.2008-31.07.2008
Novel Genetic Technologies and Inter-generational Justice
Professor, Dalhousie University
Françoise Baylis, titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en bioéthique et en philosophie, conçoit de nouvelles stratégies qui pourraient permettre aux bioéthiciens d’apporter une contribution juste et durable en matière de politiques. Elle teste l’incidence de ces stratégies sur les défis d’ordre public, tels que la recherche sur des sujets humains, la santé des femmes, la santé publique, la planification de la lutte contre les pandémies, les nouvelles technologies et l’accès aux soins de santé.
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