Briefing On Human Cloning And Genetic Technologies 2/20/2003
From: Susan Finkelpearl of the Worldwatch Institute 202-452-1992 ext. 517 or sfinkelpearl@worldwatch.org News Advisory: WHAT: Top Thinkers to Present on the Profound Challenges of Cloning and Genetic Technology WHO: Richard Hayes, Executive Director, Center for Genetics and Society Jurema Werneck, Executive Director, CRIOLA - Afro-Brazilian Women's Movement John Passacantando, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA Gina Maranto, University of Miami, Author of The Quest for Perfection Brian Halweil, Senior Researcher, Worldwatch Institute Moderator: Marc Berthold, Program Director, Heinrich Boll Foundation WHEN: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (light refreshments afterward!) WHERE: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Root Room (Second Floor) 1777 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, Dupont Circle Metro RSVP: Ronny Kittler, Heinrich Boll Foundation Phone: 202-462-7512, Fax: 202-462-5230, Email: ronny@boell.org --- Background: Until recently, much of the public debate about the new human genetic technologies has been dominated by scientists, professional bioethicists, and religious figures. Now, many civil society constituencies are vocally advocating for policies that will prevent their dangerous misuse. Human genetic technologies present a threshold challenge for humanity. If used properly they hold great promise for treating disease and alleviating suffering. If abused they could open the door to a powerful new eugenics that would objectify human life and undermine the foundations of human society. Several dozen countries have already established legal prohibitions on reproductive cloning and inheritable genetic modification. The United Nations has begun a process aimed at a global treaty that would ban the creation of cloned human beings. The most prestigious scientific bodies in the United States have officially endorsed a ban on reproductive cloning. This Congressional session provides the opportunity for the United States to join other countries and international bodies in beginning to bring the new human genetic and reproductive technologies under responsible social governance. NGO leaders and top thinkers will gather to discuss various risks posed by new human genetic technologies in a briefing titled, "Human Cloning and Genetic Technology: The Global Challenge to Social Justice, Human Rights and the Environment." Each speaker will address a specific aspect of the issue. The following topics will be addressed: Richard Hayes, Executive Director, Center for Genetics and Society -- Report on global policies and politics regarding human cloning and genetic engineering, with a focus on his recent meetings in France, Germany, and Switzerland. Jurema Werneck, Executive Director, CRIOLA - Afro-Brazilian Women's Movement -- Ramifications of emerging genetic and reproductive technologies for people of color and citizens of the global South. John Passacantando, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA -- Why environmentalists are concerned about human genetic modification, and how these technologies could affect the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Gina Maranto, University of Miami, Author of The Quest for Perfection -- The current cloning controversy as viewed in a historical framework of efforts to "breed better humans," and the varied motivations of scientists working on cloning and new reproductive technologies. Brian Halweil, Senior Researcher, Worldwatch Institute -- Report from the recent "Future of Life Summit" organized by Time Magazine, and its relationship to the debates on human cloning and genetic modification. --- About the Heinrich Boll Foundation: http://www.boell.org/100.html About the Center for Genetics and Society: http://www.genetics-and-society.org/about/ About the Worldwatch Institute: http://www.worldwatch.org/about/mission.html ------ RESPONSE FORM Please cut and paste this form into a clean email and send it to ronny@boell.org or fax it to the attention of or Ronny Kittler at the Heinrich Boll Foundation at 202-462-5230. To: Ronny Kittler, Heinrich Boll Foundation Fax: 202-462-5230 E-mail: ronny@boell.org Phone: 202-462-7512 Name: Affiliation: Phone/Fax: E-mail: I will attend the briefing. I am unable to attend. ------ Speakers' Bios: Richard Hayes Richard Hayes is the Executive Director for the Center for Genetics and Society, and has written widely on the politics of the new human genetic technologies. He has served as a political organizer for a wide range of environmental and social and economic justice organizations, and on the national political and organizing staff of the Sierra Club. He is completing a doctoral dissertation at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received an MA in Energy and Resources. Marc Berthold Marc Berthold has been Director of the North-South Dialogue Program of the Heinrich Boll Foundation North America since April 2002. Previously, he led the Washington Office's activities in preparation to and during the World Summit on Sustainable Development. He also coordinated the Foundation's capacity building program for the Johannesburg Summit. He holds a Masters in Political Science, Cultural Anthropology, and English from the University of Cologne, Germany. Brian Halweil Brian Halweil is a Research Associate at the Worldwatch Institute. He focuses on the social and ecological consequences of the way we produce food, examining topics ranging from organic farming to biotechnology, from hunger to water scarcity. Brian holds Bachelors of Science degrees in Earth Systems and Biology from Stanford University and has also completed research, fieldwork and coursework at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California at Davis. Jurema Werneck Jurema Werneck is a physician, researcher, author, and co-founder of the Afro-Brazilian women's group, CRIOLA. She serves as the Executive Secretary of the National Articulation of Black Women's NGOs, is an Ashoka fellow, and has played a major role in creating a network of Afro-Brazilian women's groups by organizing conferences and publishing materials on race and gender. John Passacantando John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, has served more than ten years in the public interest sector assembling teams that build grassroots support through aggressive investigative, constituent building and outreach campaigns to address the public health and environmental concerns. Prior to joining Greenpeace, John co-founded and directed Ozone Action and was executive director of the Florence and John Schumann Foundation. John has testified before Congress, been quoted in virtually every major newspaper in the United States, had numerous op-eds published nationwide and has been featured on numerous TV news programs. He received a B.A. in economics from Wake Forest University and an M.A., also in economics, from New York University. Gina Maranto Gina Maranto is a prize-winning science journalist and author of Quest for Perfection: The Drive to Breed Better Human Beings (Scribner, 1996), translated into German under the title Designer Babys (Klett-Cotta, 1998). She has covered the environment, molecular biology, and new reproductive technologies for major publications, and currently teaches writing at the University of Miami. |