2014 Conference Theme
The Costa Navarino 2014 Greek Legal and Medical Conference will focus on:
Technology and Ethics - How have changes in technology influenced ethical principles in law, medicine and research? Has ‘the law’ been too quick or too slow to respond?
In the last generation, there have been many advances in science, technology and medicine. They include increasingly complex organ and tissue transplants; research and developments in stem cell therapies and assisted reproductive treatments; growing knowledge of genetics and its potential applications in ‘personalised medicine’; genetically modified crops that may help relieve food shortages in third world countries; and more sophisticated computers and telecommunications systems.
With modern medicine, we can save the lives of tiny premature infants and keep patients alive for longer periods of time. Human bodily material can be stored for years and later used for research and other purposes. It can be sent to other countries for research or treatment; and cell lines and other products can be derived from it. These may be commercialised, perhaps for large rewards. Patients can also go to other countries for procedures that would be unlawful in Australia.
However, many of these developments raise ethical and legal challenges. Our community is diverse and some people have grave concerns about using science to try to control our lives.
Some object, in particular, to research on embryos and people’s personal genetics. Others are worried about making changes that have implications for the future that cannot be undone, or may lead to greater inequities in the community. In many cases, the law has had to respond to new issues, particularly in areas such as assisted reproductive treatments; guardianship; privacy; human rights law and intellectual property. Sometimes, new laws have been enacted but many changes have been made by the case law and professional and ethical guidelines. The law’s responses to these dilemmas is fluid and is of course dependent upon community attitudes and political will.
This conference will explore these issues and others that participants will raise. Our Speakers will present ideas from different perspectives, to promote our understanding of how the law and other regulatory mechanisms respond to different types of developments in science and medicine.
More information about the conference can also be obtained by contacting us