Conference on bioethics begins today at GU-Q

A two-day conference at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), which begins today, will bring issues surrounding science, religion and the world of medical treatment and research, or bioethics, to the forefront of public discussion.The event will feature a workshop and several panels based on its main theme, “The Human Person: Challenges for Science, Religion and Governance”. The conference will provide an opportunity for greater scholarly collaboration between the participating scholars and experts from the US, Europe and the Middle East in exploring Muslim, Catholic and secular approaches to the understanding of bioethics.“This conference addresses some of the important implications of biomedical technology on our understanding of human nature and human relationships,” explained Dr Ayman Shabana, director of the Islamic Bioethics Project at GU-Q, which is organising the event in co-operation with the Contending Modernities initiative at the University of Notre Dame (US).Scott Appleby, professor of history and director of the Contending Modernities project at Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies (University of Notre Dame), said: “Developments in medical technology, neuroscience and related areas are unfolding at a dizzying pace, with profound implications for our understanding of the human person. There is a need for humankind’s great religious as well as secular traditions to have a voice in the bioethical and social justice questions raised by these developments.”Programme topics include the scope and boundaries of Shariah law in medical legal and ethical issues, referred to as “Islamic Bioethics”, the social and legal definition of “human personhood” and the challenges of neuroscience. Dr Gerd Nonneman, dean of GU-Q, said: “The ethical questions that will be discussed at this conference, such as the difficult life-and-death issues surrounding the use of new technologies that push the boundaries of life support, and understanding how the science of genetics is shaping conceptions of the human person, affect all of humanity regardless of national, cultural or religious boundaries.”The opening session will be chaired by Dr Shabana and the keynote will feature Osman Bakar from Universiti Brunei Darussalam, speaking on the topic of The Human Person: Challenges for Religion, Science, and Governance and Prospects for Common Responses.For more information, visit qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu