15
Keynote
2020
Januar y
12-2 3
Heritable Human Genome Editing: Scientists and Science
Policy
DESCRIPTION
“I believe that science experts have a responsibility to contribute to public policy. One facet of this responsibility includes
making scientific information accessible to policymakers, legislators and members of the public.” Francoise Baylis.
Building on work of Roger Pielke Jr., on idealized roles for scientists engaged in policymaking, Professor Baylis reviews the
various ways in which scientists have and continue to contribute to the debate on the ethics and governance of heritable
human genome editing. Some scientists make contributions exclusively in the role of a pure scientist—Francisco Mojica, for
example. Others function as science analysts who review available information and provide impartial data for decision-mak-
ing. Still, other scientists enthusiastically take on the role of issue advocate in advancing specific scientific, economic,
political or societal interests. Among the issue, advocates are the social reformers who overtly prioritize societal interests.
Lastly, there are the science diplomats—scientists whose work focuses primarily on trying to find a path to consensus. This
work may involve clarifying the scientific underpinnings of different policy options, identifying points of common interest and
convergence around the science, and, as appropriate, widening or narrowing the range of policy options under considera-
tion in the pursuit of knowledge-based, integrity-preserving compromise.
This lecture will take as its starting point the research of Junjiu Huang, published in April 2015 and the pre-emptive com-
mentaries published just prior to this in the journals Nature and Science.
SPEAKER Francoise Baylis
University Research Professor at Dalhousie University
EVENT FORMAT