Inclusion, Access, and Civility in Public Bioethics

I could tell many war stories about my experience serving on the President's Council on Bioethics-one of the most controversial national bioethics commissions so far-but I want to focus instead on how the experience influenced my views on bioethics, politics, and the potential contributions of national commissions. The executive order that established the Council directed it to consider policy questions, but it spoke primarily of providing a forum for national discussion, inquiry, and education. In this sense, the Council's mission departed from that of other national bioethics commissions, which have had more direct policy functions. Most bioethics commissions consider a range of ethical positions in their reports, but their primary objective has been to develop consensus recommendations on whatever topic they are addressing. The Council's executive order moved away from the consensus-based policy model and called for deep attention to contested ideas. Although the search for consensus may be the most suitable approach for policy activities, it can lead to a bland and anemic version of bioethics. The Council sought to contribute thick bioethical analysis.