Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committees: A Model for Oversight of Innovative Research?

Abstract

Ethically challenging areas of research raise the question of how science can proceed in an ethically reflective and careful way and what role ethical deliberative bodies at the local level play in this. Important lessons can be drawn from the experience of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committees (ESCROs). ESCROs have evolved as reflective spaces in response to changes in the science, including research on “humanization” of experimental rodents, embryogenesis, and developing human germ cells. Institutional efforts can contribute to broader goals of open and democratic deliberation.