Who Owns Your Body?: Legal and Social Issues in Michael Crichton's Next
Do you own your DNA, or does someone else? Do gene patents inhibit research? Can researchers use your genetic material without your consent? How do universities profit from patents? Where do fact and fiction meet in the world of biomedical research?
ISLAT researchers have addressed these questions in ongoing projects involving use of human tissue, human research and intellectual property. As one aspect of this endeavor, ISLAT convened a conference on May 21, 2007, with experts from law, the judiciary, medicine and the social sciences to discuss conflicts over research on body tissue, including the patenting of genes. The conference was greatly enhanced by the presence of novelist and public intellectual Michael Crichton. The conference was organized around Crichton’s book, Next, with participants addressing the scientific and policy issues raised by the book.
The participants examined legal and social disputes over the human body. The discussion touched upon the commercialization of academic science, conflicts in biomedical research, and gene patents. The speakers also addressed other ethical, social, and legal disputes over viewing the body as property, the commercialization of body parts, and the impacts of the legal status of the body on particular population groups. The speakers also developed suggestions for potential policy, legislative or other legal solutions. Their articles will be published in Chicago-Kent Law Review.
For more information on the conference, the conference speakers and the issues discussed, please visit http://www.whoownsyourbody.org.
Return to Current Research Projects
|
