Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking

In the early 1990s, the EU's proposed bioeconomic agenda provoked ethical concerns among its citizenry. In response to the political impasse between economic and ethical imperatives, as well as the perceived lack of democratic legitimacy, the EU established an expert bioethics advisory body, kn...

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Main Authors: Mohr, Alison, Busby, Helen, Hervey, Tamara, Dingwall, Robert
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press 2012
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2517/
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author Mohr, Alison
Busby, Helen
Hervey, Tamara
Dingwall, Robert
author_facet Mohr, Alison
Busby, Helen
Hervey, Tamara
Dingwall, Robert
author_sort Mohr, Alison
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description In the early 1990s, the EU's proposed bioeconomic agenda provoked ethical concerns among its citizenry. In response to the political impasse between economic and ethical imperatives, as well as the perceived lack of democratic legitimacy, the EU established an expert bioethics advisory body, known as the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). Situated at the boundary between law, bioethics and economic policy, the EGE plays an ambiguous role in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU. To elucidate the nature of its role and influence, this paper considers the EGE as an integral element of a broader web of governance spanning EU and Member State institutions. Using as a case study the emerging controversy surrounding commercial cord blood banking, we explore whether the EGE and its ethical opinions on this matter have contributed to the democratic legitimacy of the EU.
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spelling nottingham-25172020-05-04T20:22:40Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2517/ Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking Mohr, Alison Busby, Helen Hervey, Tamara Dingwall, Robert In the early 1990s, the EU's proposed bioeconomic agenda provoked ethical concerns among its citizenry. In response to the political impasse between economic and ethical imperatives, as well as the perceived lack of democratic legitimacy, the EU established an expert bioethics advisory body, known as the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). Situated at the boundary between law, bioethics and economic policy, the EGE plays an ambiguous role in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU. To elucidate the nature of its role and influence, this paper considers the EGE as an integral element of a broader web of governance spanning EU and Member State institutions. Using as a case study the emerging controversy surrounding commercial cord blood banking, we explore whether the EGE and its ethical opinions on this matter have contributed to the democratic legitimacy of the EU. Oxford University Press 2012 Article PeerReviewed Mohr, Alison, Busby, Helen, Hervey, Tamara and Dingwall, Robert (2012) Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking. Science and Public Policy, 39 (1). pp. 105-117. ISSN 0302-3427 http://spp.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/1/105.full doi:10.1093/scipol/scs003 doi:10.1093/scipol/scs003
spellingShingle Mohr, Alison
Busby, Helen
Hervey, Tamara
Dingwall, Robert
Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title_full Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title_fullStr Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title_full_unstemmed Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title_short Mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the EU: The European Group on Ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
title_sort mapping the role of official bioethics advice in the governance of biotechnologies in the eu: the european group on ethics’ opinion on commercial cord blood banking
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2517/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2517/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2517/