News: AAAS News & Notes
http://www.aaas.org//news/newsandnotes/inside60.shtml
BRIEFING
Scientists and
policymakers recently met on the Hill to discuss the potential applications
for stem cell research and the ethical considerations involved, as the debate
continues on whether to use federal funding to support this promising line of
research. The AAAS congressional briefing, held on April 25, highlighted the
results of a AAAS report that supports federal funding for research involving
all types of human stem cells.
Legislation to
support this area of research was recently introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter
(R-Pa.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and hearings were held on April 26, which
included paralyzed movie star Christopher Reeve, former Senator Bob Dole, and
others. Meanwhile, privately funded research is forging ahead with remarkable
speed but no public oversight.
Speakers at the
AAAS briefing discussed stem cell research, potential applications, and ethical
concerns. John D. Gearhart, director, Division of Developmental Genetics, The
Johns Hopkins University, provided an update on current stem cell research at
the AAAS briefing and predicted that clinical trials could take place in 3 to
5 years. Gearhart urged that stem cell research proceed in an effort to cure
numerous diseases, such as Down's Syndrome. "You're not going to be immortal,”
Gearhart said. "We're not talking about the expanded life span of a population
or cloning.”
Robert A. Goldstein,
vice president for research, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, called
for both federally funded research and private research to continue. "The
research should go forward in the public arena,” Goldstein said. "The
pace of research in isolation and not shared is abysmal compared to shared research
in public.” He also warned that there would be no public oversight and
guidelines if research were to proceed in the private arena only.
The AAAS report,
Stem Cell Research and Applications, says federal funding should be used
for research on human stem cells--including embryonic stem cells that have already
been isolated in laboratories--but the derivation of human stem cells should
not at present receive federal funding because of public anxiety surrounding
it. Stem cell research could result in a dramatic increase of our knowledge
and understanding of genetics and developmental biology, and potentially result
in treatments and cures for many diseases, including Parkinson's disease, diabetes,
and cancer. The report was released in November by AAAS and the Institute for
Civil Society, and can be found online at /spp/dspp/sfrl/projects/stem/main.htm.
Stem cell research,
however, has precipitated considerable controversy, both because of the sources
of some of the cells and its potential uses. Some opponents believe that it
would be unethical to destroy human embryos to isolate the stem cells, while
others are concerned about the possible use of stem cells for generating human
tissues and organs and potentially for human cloning.
According to Mark
S. Frankel, director of AAAS's Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program,
"The problem arises regarding the source of stem cells--such as aborted
fetuses or embryos frozen for fertility purposes, which are viewed by some as
potential human life.” Nevertheless, there is already sufficient material
gathered by clinics and researchers not using federal funding that this exclusion
will not have a negative impact on research, the AAAS study says.
Ronald M. Green,
professor for the study of ethics and human values, Dartmouth College, addressed
the ethical issues involved in stem cell research at the briefing. "Although
many people are morally uncomfortable with anything that appears to legitimate
abortion, I believe that a consensus has emerged in this country that the use
of fetal tissues which would otherwise be discarded is ethically permissible,
so long as appropriate guidelines are in place to insure that the use of these
tissues in research in no way induces a woman to have an abortion,” Green
said. He noted that embryos are already routinely destroyed in infertility clinics
around the world when donors decide they are no longer needed, and that there
are at least tens of thousands of such embryos in the United States, with thousands
more being produced each year.
According to the
AAAS study, federal funding of stem cell research would offer a basis for public
approval through well-established oversight mechanisms and help guarantee that
the results of stem cell research would reflect broad social priorities. Also,
federal regulatory mechanisms now provide a sufficient framework for the oversight
of stem cell research, and it is important not to create unnecessary oversight
mechanisms or regulatory burdens, the study says. The Food and Drug Administration
has the authority to regulate the development and use of human stem cells that
will be used as biological products, drugs, or medical devises to diagnose,
treat, or cure a disease or underlying condition. And the National Institutes
of Health is expected to issue final guidelines endorsing stem cell research
by this summer, which would give the federal government oversight responsibilities.
The AAAS study
was conducted with the advice of a working group, composed of scientists, lawyers,
ethicists, and representatives from several religious faiths. From this effort,
a number of recommendations were developed for conducting stem cell research,
covering such issues as public education, procedures for stem cell isolation,
human subjects protection, and research guidelines. AAAS has conducted a number
of studies and forums to promote continued dialogue on emerging scientific advances
that affect the public, including cloning and genetically modified foods.
PUBLICATIONS While many resources
cover a broad spectrum of human rights, including civil and political rights,
a new thesaurus by AAAS focuses specifically on economic, social, and cultural
rights, presenting a useful tool for non-governmental organizations, human rights
workers, and academicians.
The Thesaurus
of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: Terminology and Potential Violations,
by AAAS's Stephen A. Hansen, organizes, classifies, and cross-references rights,
terminology, and potential violations pertaining to the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It serves as an access point to other
international instruments, declarations, and other related documents.
"The thesaurus
is an important first step toward understanding a category of human rights that
to date have resisted attempts at systematized monitoring,” Hansen said.
In November 1999,
Hansen was invited to give a presentation of the thesaurus in Geneva during
a session of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
According to Virginia Bonoan-Dandan, the chair of the committee, "The Thesaurus
is user-friendly and it conveys legal contexts in a way that is not cumbersome
and intimidating. Economic, social and cultural rights have just been given
a much-needed shot in the arm.”
Sections of the
thesaurus address Article 15 of the covenant, which recognizes the right to
enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, benefit from
the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific
production of which he/she is the author, the steps necessary for the conservation,
development, and the diffusion of science, and the development of international
contacts and cooperation in the scientific field. The thesaurus contains entries
relating to such issues as science policy, genetic testing, scientific patents,
and biopiracy.
The thesaurus is
the result of a 3-year project by AAAS and the Human Rights Information and
Documentation Systems International to develop a series of simple, accurate,
and non-technical tools and resources to enable organizations to monitor violations
of economic, social, and cultural rights. The thesaurus is the first of these
resources to be made publicly available.
The thesaurus is
available in English and Spanish, and can be ordered by contacting the AAAS
Distribution Center at 800-222-7809. The thesaurus can also be found on the
Web at http://shr.aaas.org/ethesaurus.
MEETINGS Held on February 20,
2000, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC. Report on Board Actions--Stephen
Jay Gould, AAAS President, gave highlights of the AAAS Board's actions over
the last year. He noted that the Board had continued to carefully monitor the
R&D funding situation. He said that Board concerns over the loss of funding
in the engineering, physical, and computer sciences area had led to a AAAS-hosted
meeting for affiliates from these discipline areas as well as representatives
from industry and Congressional staffers. He said that the meeting participants
discussed the possibility of the formation of an independent coalition for the
purpose of helping to increase the public's appreciation both for the important
role that basic research in these sciences has played in the advances of other
sciences and for the contributions this research has made to improving their
lives. Gould noted that the group had agreed to pursue this idea further. He
said that the Board had also met with Joseph Bordogna, Deputy Director of the
National Science Foundation, to discuss organizational changes at NSF, the redirection
of the educational programs, concerns about funding for basic research, and
the future viability of the United States as an innovation leader. Gould noted that the Board
had closely followed the situation with regard to both free circulation of scientists
and the potential for discrimination against foreign scientists working in the
United States. He said that they had met with the Chief Science Advisor to Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson to express their concerns over these issues and to
offer AAAS assistance in dealing with these matters. He described the search
process for the selection of a new editor-in-chief for Science and said that
Donald Kennedy had been selected by the Board to fill that slot, beginning in
June 2000. He also talked about the challenges and opportunities being created
for the journal by the Internet. Gould announced that the
Board had recently agreed to create a Long Range Planning Committee that would
be charged with looking at future strategic directions for the organization
and that the group would be chaired by incoming President, Mary Good. Executive Officer's Report--Richard
Nicholson, AAAS Executive Officer, gave a brief state of the association report.
He stressed that the health of the association was very strong. He reported
that beginning in 1996 the Board had charged him with rebuilding the organization's
reserves and that AAAS had finished 1999 with another surplus. Update on the Status
of the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A110--Mark Frankel of
the Science and Policy Programs staff reminded the Council that legislation
had been passed that contained a requirement that all data produced under federal
awards be available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act. He
noted that at last year's Council meeting a resolution had been passed expressing
concern for the possible impact of these regulations on the conduct of research.
He reported that there had been several unsuccessful efforts to repeal the law
and that OMB had recently issued the revised regulations that contain definitions
and exclusions in response to some of the concerns expressed by the scientific
community. Frankel felt that the new regulations were likely to be challenged
in the courts by opponents of those changes and he indicated that AAAS would
continue follow the situation on behalf of the scientific community. Status Report on Court-Appointed
Experts Project--Mark Frankel said that this project was a five-year demonstration
project to test the feasibility of providing science and technology advice to
judges. He said that they were developing the process for selecting candidates
and hoped to begin placement in the summer. He indicated that the AAAS sections
and affiliated societies had been invited to participate in this project and
that efforts were now underway to work out the mechanisms for that participation.
He stressed that AAAS's role would be to provide three to four possible candidates
and that the courts would make the final selection of the expert. Report on the Activities
Relating to the Teaching of Evolution--Audrey Chapman and James Miller,
both of the Science and Policy Programs staff, described the AAAS activities
in the area of evolution. They talked about the forthcoming video and publications
being produced as a follow-up to a joint meeting held with the Field Museum
in Chicago. They also demonstrated the AAAS informational Web site that has
been Discussion on the Program
of Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion--This topic was placed on the
agenda in response to a request from the Section on Physics for a Council discussion
on this topic. Gould introduced the topic by saying that the Board had continued
to review the programs of the Association on a regular basis and had held several
recent sessions focused on the activities of the Program of Dialogue on Science,
Ethics and Religion. He noted that it was in response to the Board's request
that the name of the program had been changed to include "ethics”
in its title. He also stated that the Board had requested assurances that the
amount of program funding from the Templeton Foundation would be reduced and
that other funding sources would be sought. Gould indicated that the Board had
also requested that a statement be placed on the program Web site noting the
independence of the program from the views of its funders. At the same time,
Gould said that the Board had reconfirmed its support for the overall goals
of the program and its activities, particularly in the areas of evolution and
genetic research. Al Teich, Director of Science
and Policy Programs, described the current activities of the program. He talked
about his staff's responses to the Board's earlier concerns and stated that
the funding from Templeton made up less that 40 percent of the current funding
for the program. He said that the Board appoints the advisory committee for
the program and that the Board also has two members who serve as liaisons to
that advisory committee. Audrey Chapman, head of
the DoSER program under Teich, said that the three objectives of the program
were to promote understanding of science and technology in religious communities,
to provide for a dialogue between scholars on matters of mutual concern, and
to facilitate public outreach activities. She noted that the recent emphasis
for the program has been on bioethics/bioresponsibility and evolution. Several
representatives from the Section on Physics stressed that they felt it was important
to raise this topic for discussion, that they felt reassured by some of the
responses to their concerns but that they hoped the Board would continue it
careful oversight of these areas. Actions Brought Forward
by the Committee on Council Affairs (CCA)--The Council approved the International
Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI) for affiliation with
AAAS. The Council approved the proposed
resolution reaffirming the scientific integrity of plant research (see
box). Mary Good, Chair of CCA, reported
that, in its newly approved role as final arbiter for challenged fellows nominations,
the Committee on Council Affairs had discussed mechanisms for handling challenges
to fellowship nominations. She noted that a recommendation for an amendment
to Article I, Section 2 of the Bylaws had come out of these discussions (see
box). The amendment was approved by those attending the Council meeting
and will now be mailed to the entire Council for a vote. Good also reported that
a resolution on the unity of science and funding for science as a whole had
been brought before the Committee on Council Affairs. The CCA felt that a task
force should be formed to work through the details of the document before it
was brought before the Board for final action. The Council agreed with this
proposal and charged John Peoples, Retiring Chair of the Section on Physics,
with leading this effort.
Stem Cell Research Focus of Congressional Briefing
John
D. Gearhart of The Johns Hopkins University provided an update on stem cell
resarch at a AAAS briefing.
New AAAS Resource Boosts Human Rights
Report of the 2000 Council Meeting
In December the Board held a special retreat in San Jose, California. Gould
said that in addition to its normal board meeting, there had been panel discussions
with industry and educational leaders from Silicon Valley. These discussions
focused on workforce issues, support for teachers, educational tools for the
Internet, and opportunities for informal learning at museums and technology
centers. He said that the Board viewed this as the beginning of an ongoing conversation
with these constituencies and would continue to explore ways to cooperate with
these groups.
expanded for the purpose of providing additional background information on evolution
and links to other sources. It was noted that the site includes statements from
major religious groups endorsing the teaching of evolution.
The Council approved the proposed changes to wording in the Arctic Division
bylaws that would add the newly created Nunavut Territory of Canada to the Division's
membership.
