Council’s DNA recommendations endorsed by human rights ruling

10 December 2008

In a landmark ruling, judges at the European Court of Human Rights have endorsed the Council’s recommendations against storing DNA profiles and samples of innocent people on the National DNA Database.

The Court of 17 judges unanimously ruled that keeping the samples and fingerprints of two UK men, who had been arrested but never convicted of any crime, constituted a breach of their human rights. The judgement was based solely on a violation of Article 8 – the right to respect for a private life.

Nuffield Council statement on DNA Database ruling

Press Release

5 December 2008

Two men from Sheffield, known as S and Marper, have won a victory after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that keeping their DNA on the National DNA Database breached their human rights.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics concluded in 2007 that the police should not keep DNA samples of people who have not been convicted until there is clear evidence that this helps tackle crime.

Bioethics in Parliament 2008: debating the DNA database

13 November 2008

On the 11 November, the Council hosted the first ‘Bioethics in Parliament’ event on the terrace of the Houses of Parliament.

Submissions to the revision of the Declaration of Helsinki

8 September 2008

The Council has contributed to a series of consultations run by the World Medical Association (WMA), on the revision of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The Declaration of Helsinki is a statement of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects, including research on identifiable human material and data.

Members of the public deliberate dementia

27 August 2008

On 5 August 2008, fifty members of the public gathered at the ThinkTank Science Centre in Birmingham to deliberate the ethical issues raised by dementia at a workshop hosted by the Council.

The Council is seeking new members

16 July 2008

The Council is seeking applications for new Council members with expertise in a number of areas.

• Law

• Philosophy

• Theology

• Basic science

• Medical science

Applications are invited in the form of a brief statement of interest accompanied by a short curriculum vitae. These should be sent to the Director at the address below.

The closing date for submissions is 12th September 2008.

Opinion Leader appointed to run deliberative workshop

9 July 2008

The Council has recently appointed communications specialists Opinion Leader to organise and facilitate a deliberative workshop with members of the public on issues raised by dementia.

Fifty people, recruited to broadly reflect the UK population, will be asked to consider evidence, debate the issues and give their informed views on dementia. The workshop will take place in Birmingham in early August 2008.

Caring for people with dementia: are we being ethical?

Press Release

14 May 2008

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics today launched a consultation on the ethical dilemmas that are faced by people with dementia and those who care for them, including families, carers, and health and social care professionals.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics Public Lecture 2008

9 May 2008

Professor Göran Hermerén, Chair of the European Group on Ethics and Professor of Medical Ethics, University of Lund, delivered his lecture on 7th May 2008 at the Royal Society in London.

The ranking of values as a basis for ethical decision making

New resources for teachers on animal research

31 March 2008

The Nuffield Curriculum Centre and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics have worked together to produce a range of resources which are designed to fit into Science and Citizenship lessons.

The objective of this suite of materials is to help students make informed decisions about the use of animals in research. They are made up of individual starters, activities, plenaries and an assessment exercise which can be dropped into lessons or used as a whole according to your programmes of study.