At this conference, those who read Leon Kass religiously regularly and who think of Trinity International University as a great place to learn bioethics will be celebrating. Why? Because they will be able to say that they are the biggest, most powerful group in bioethics.
Don’t ask for a lot of diversity (of any kind) at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity’s 12th Annual International Conference. Pretty much everyone on the speakers list is on the record as being in agreement on pretty much all of the issues at hand. Think of this conference, in fact, as a kind of a revival for the long-ago converted conservatives in bioethics, as well as a workshop on how conservatives can use the media and the church to achieve political power. And – good news – you can trade in your three days of neocon biopower training at Trinity International University, along with a paper on “engaging bioethics … in contemporary life” with “a biblical-theological mandate,” for four hours of graduate credit toward a bioethics degree. And you will never have to read anyone whose view differs from your own!
One wonders: where is William Saletan? Saletan spends so much time bemoaning shallow utilitarianism among liberals in bioethics, in contrast to what he sees as incredibly thoughtful discourse among acolytes of Leon Kass and members of the Italian pro-life community. William, perhaps you should ditch the next undergraduate bioethics conference on your agenda and instead make some time to visit the folks in bioethics who really agree with each other. It will be more fun than ratings day at Fox News Channel.