Human Genome Project: Science, Law, and Social Change

This conference, The Human Project: Science, Law, and Social Change in the 21st Century, will bring together 300-500 physicians, lawyers, consumers, ethicists, and scientists to explore the impact of new genetic technologies and prepare for the challenges ahead. Organized by the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, in association with the American Society of Law, Medicine &Ethics (ASLME), the conference on April 23 and 24, 1998, will offer plenary sessions on 1) The Information Revolution in Genetics; 2) Privacy and Genetic Discrimination: Effects on Individuals and Society; and 3) Altering Genes in Individuals and Populations. Each plenary session will be followed by relevant workshops. The conference organizers will disseminate the results of the conference through an interactive Web site maintained by the Whitehead Institute; The Gene Letter (an Internet newsletter on genetics and public policy started in July 1996 under a grant from DOE); a special issue of ASLME's Journal of Law, Medicine &Ethics; review articles submitted to leading scientific journals, such as The American Journal of Human Genetics; a specially prepared CD-ROM to be distributed free-of-charge to medical, law, and public health libraries around the country; and two follow-up newsletters, six and twelve months after the conference, with up-to-date information about legislative trends, recent judicial decisions, and changes in public health policy related to genetics.