Ethical and Legal Considerations Event Description In September 2021, Cambridge University Press published Consumer Genetic Technologies: Ethical and Legal Considerations. This volume, edited by I. Glenn Cohen, Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely, and Carmel Shachar, stems from the Petrie-Flom Center’s 2019 annual conference, which brought together leading experts to explore what ethical and regulatory…
Lessons Learned Reporting on the Pandemic Event Description In January 2020, reports began to circulate internationally of a pneumonia-like illness spreading in China. Little was known about the novel pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, at that time. As scientists and public health experts worked to understand the virus, reporters worked to communicate to the public the state of…
Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA Event Description When Chris Hansen, an ACLU lawyer, learned that the U.S. government was issuing patents for human genes to biotech companies, his first thought was: How can a corporation own what makes us who we are? Then he discovered that women were being…
How the Mind Forgets and Remembers Event Description On October 13th we hosted a discussion of the updated edition of The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers with author and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Daniel Schacter. This updated edition revisits Professor Schacter’s groundbreaking research with the twenty-first century’s…
COVID-19 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Latin America Event Description The COVID-19 pandemic battered the Latin American region, and has exacted a disproportionate toll on the lives of persons with disabilities throughout Latin America, exacerbating inequalities and entrenching already pervasive patterns of marginalization. These effects were especially evident for institutionalized persons with…
The Future of Psychedelics Law and Regulation Event Description On June 30, the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School announced a new research initiative, the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR). To mark POPLAR’s launch, the Petrie-Flom Center has invited experts from all aspects of the emerging…
Engaging Critical Perspectives in Health Law and Policy Event Description What does health justice mean? How does health justice relate to other frameworks for advocacy, teaching, research, and scholarship? And how should the community be involved in efforts to realize health justice? Scholars, advocates, and activists will reflect on these questions for the Petrie-Flom Center’s…
The Significance of Abortion Legalization in Argentina Event Description In December 2020, first trimester abortion was legalized in Argentina with the passage of Law 27.610. This historic move presents an inflection point for Argentine democracy, as well as a case study in how rights concepts can be deployed effectively to advance reproductive justice. In this…
A Path to the New Normal? Online Viewing Event Description As efforts mount to return to “normal,” COVID-19 digital health passes, more commonly known as COVID-19 immunity passports or certification programs, have been floated as a way to safely get people back to work, school, and social activities. Israel has implemented a “green pass” that…
Unlocking Federal Funds for Psychedelics Research Online Viewing Event Description The U.S. needs a mental health moonshot. Inspired by the Apollo moon landing, moonshots are ambitious projects with monumental goals. The U.S. has a history of funding moonshots with federal tax dollars, and the Human Genome Project is one recent example. More recently, in 2016,…
