In a lecture that will kick off a conference on Religion and Genomics at Vanderbilt University, a leading historian of genetics will explain how faith-based communities have come to terms, ethically, with genetic screening – even when the screening is mandated and even when the communities are opposed to abortion.
Ruth Schwartz Cowan, the Janice and Julian Bers Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, in the Flynn Auditorium at Vanderbilt Law School, 131 21st Ave. S.
The lecture, “Heredity and Hope: Intersections of Genetics and Faith in the Clinic,” is free and open to the public. The conference runs through April 4 and is open to registrants only. The cost for the full conference is $25 and the registration deadline is March 26. For the schedule and more information, go to http://www.vanderbilt.edu/religion-genomics/index.html.
Cowan’s upcoming book, Heredity and Hope: The Case for Genetic Screening, presents her research on mandated premarital genetic screening programs on the island of Cyprus and the role the Greek Orthodox Church has played in implementing those policies. The book also discusses the role of Jewish institutions in encouraging genetic screening and also in the creation of a special genetic registry to serve the needs of ultra-orthodox Jews who are opposed to abortion.
Undertaken responsibly – and with the support of religious institutions – genetic screening has provided afflicted families with the hope of relief from suffering, Cowan argues.
The lecture and the “Religion and Genomics” conference are sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture at Vanderbilt University, the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the Office of the Dean at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. This project is also supported by a grant from the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Media Contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu