The Anscombe Centre is a Roman Catholic academic institute that engages with the moral questions arising in clinical practice and biomedical research. It brings to bear on those questions principles of natural law, virtue ethics, and the teaching of the Catholic Church, and seeks to develop the implications of that teaching for emerging fields of practice. The Centre engages in scholarly dialogue with academics and practitioners of other traditions. It contributes to public policy debates as well as to debates and consultations within the Church. It runs educational programmes for, and gives advice to, Catholics and other interested healthcare professionals and biomedical scientists. For more information please see the About Us section...
Draft programme announced. Bookings now open... The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe. On 27th and 28th September 2013 the Centre will host a major international conference on the moral philosophy of GEM Anscombe, after whom the Centre is named, at St Hugh's College, Oxford (where G.E.M. Anscombe was an undergraduate student). The price is £140 for ‘early bird’ conference registration, light refreshments and lunch only for the two conference days (without accommodation). Concessions £70. For details please see the booking pages.
Participants will include Christopher Coope, Dr Mary Geach,
Prof Luke Gormally, Dr Edward Harcourt,
Dr David Jones, Prof Anselm Müller,
Dr Matthew O’Brien, Prof Thomas Pink,
Prof Duncan Richter, Dr Roger Teichmann,
Prof Jose Maria Torralba and Prof Candace Vogler.
To book your place please visit this webpage, and for more information, please contact admin@bioethics.org.uk
Recent Events
Prof. Jones introduces Chimera's Children at the Centre's book launch event on 19th June 2013. A monograph by Dr James Mumford Ethics at the Beginning of Life: a phenomenological critique and an issue of the journal Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics were also launched.
Recent Submissions
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has published its recommendations to the government on mitochondria replacement. Although unfortunately the HFEA recommended to the government that mitochondria replacement be permitted, it is worth stressing that a majority of those who completed the online submission (as opposed to consultation strands involving fewer people, such as workshops, public meetings and a survey) opposed mitochondria replacement in either form (pronuclear transfer or maternal spindle transfer).
The Anscombe Bioethics Centre not only put in its own submission ( HFEA Mitochondrial Submission) but prepared a briefing (Mitochondrial Replacement Briefing) for others submitting to the on-line consultation and co-wrote a letter to the Times (text and list of signatories available here) signed by 42 ethicists and science/health professionals from Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the USA. Authorisation of mitochondrial replacement would require a vote in both Houses of Parliament, and it is to be hoped that the HFEA’s recommendations will be rejected by the Government so that no such authorisation is proposed.
The full text and list of signatories is available at the Times website and here.
Ethics Forum with +John Sherrington Wednesday 28th November
The Centre hosted an ethics forum at which Bishop John Sherrington and Professor David Albert Jones spoke on medical care for those with learning difficulties, and the dignity of the human person, with particular relation to disability. This session at Newman House, London, was well attended and marks the beginning of further Anscombe Centre work in this area.
Thinking Christian Ethos Tuesday 30th October 2012
The Centre hosted a conference for school leaders and teachers on the place of Science, Ethics and Faith in Catholic Schools. For more information about this project, see the 'Education' tab above.
3rd Anscombe Memorial Lecture:
Most Rev Dr Anthony Fisher OP
15th October 2012
Bishop Fisher (Bishop of Parramatta) delivered the third Anscombe Memorial Lecture on: "Fair innings? Healthcare rationing in favour of the young over the elderly". A video recording of this paper is available below and on our Multimedia page (Resources>Multimedia)
Graduate Seminar on Double Effect at St Hilda's Collge, Oxford
Monday 25 June 2012: A Seminar for graduate students on "Double Effect Reasoning" with Dr Roger Teichmann, University of Oxford and Professor Daniel Sulmasy, University of Chicago.
Human Dignity in Healthcare 18th June 2012
Prof. Daniel P. Sulmasy delivered the keynote presentation at this international day conference. The conference poster is available here.
Further information is available in the News & Events section.
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Podcasts
Podcasts of various Centre events are available on our multimedia page. They include a recent research seminar on "Catholic Perspectives on Organ Donation", and the 2011 Anscombe Memorial Lecture delivered by Professor Robert P George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University, on "Science, Philosophy and Religion in the Embryo Debate".
'This marvellous work deserves a wide readership' Pravin Thevathasan
'Fertility and Gender is an auspicious beginning for the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, and will serve... as an essential reference point for further inquiry' Christopher Tollefsen
'instructive and illuminating essays by some of the most well-informed, deeply thoughtful, and analytically rigorous scholars working in this area today' Robert P. George
Please click here for more information on Fertility & Gender. For a downloadable flyer promoting the book, click here ; for the Bookshop click here.
Director Emeritus Honoured
Professor Luke Gormally, Director Emeritus of the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics (now the Anscombe Bioethics Centre) was announced as the 2011 recipient of the Paul Ramsey Award of the Center for Bioethics and Culture (San Francisco). Previous recipients have been: Edmund Pellegrino (2004), Germain Grisez (2005), John Finnis (2006), William E May (2007), Albert Moraczewski OP (2008), Gilbert Meilaender (2009), Leon Kass (2010). The award banquet was held on Friday 25th March in San Francisco. We wish him many congratulations.