8 
universities. Further, in some instances, discussions of the ethics of 
science ras a specific topic within a formal curriculum is frequently 
limited to professional fields such as medicine, law or engineering. 
The concern of many of the witnesses, was that these discussions of the 
expanding role of the scientific community in, interactions with the 
informed lay citizen may require a special effort to reach all students 
in every field of study. 
- The professional societies could do much more to aic| in securing 
honest and open evaluation pf subjects requiring scientific input., A 
few of the professional societies are moving in this direction. The 
American Association for the Advancement of Science, for example, 
provided the Subcommittee with introductory information about 
its Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility in which 
it is examining the problems of self-regulation within scientific 
research. 
The Subcommittee also concludes that this, Subcommittee and the, 
Congress generally should continue to encourage scientific societies, 
within the limits of Federal law, to participate in programs of public 
education and community activities which will assist the public in 
evaluating both sides of highly technical debates. The success of 
local key citizens recombinant DNA committees in evaluating and 
understanding the research issues clearly demonstrates that the 
public can understand and reach reasonable decisions on complex 
issues when scientists participate in such open discussions. The 
scientific societies and ether formal institutions could do much to 
anticipate such problems and provide more opportunities in support 
Of puplie seminars for discussion of evolving research with public 
policy implications before controversies become highly polarized. 
E- PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES FOR SETTING POLICY 
i A number of experimental models for securing public involvement 
in science ■ policy determinations have evolved in the United States 
and in othpr countries. Testimony before the Subcommittee provides 
more detail about some of these experiments. Such models should 
continue to be examined and tested. Some, like the National Com- 
mission for. the Protection of Human Subjects mentioned earlier, have 
served both to alleviate public anxiety and to improve the environ- 
ment in which specific types of scientific experiments can be conducted 
with serial approval. 
There is a need for the Congress to maintain an awareness of the 
©volution of these several new models for resolving public issues, 
especially those in the private sector.. 
The Subcommittee also has been made aware of the evolution of 
specific; academic institutions such as the Institute of Society, Ethics, 
and the Life Sciences, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York; the Center 
for Bioethics, Georgetown University; also the National Endow- 
ment for the Humanities and the Assembly of Social and, Behavioral 
Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences. 
The Subcommittee concludes that the need for developing principles 
and methodologies for clarifying ethical issues affecting research is 
being noted by sueh, institutions as an important public need for 
crystallizing basic ethical options* The expansion of. the perspectives, 
provided by these institutions and their role in public education should 
[Appendix B— 59] 
