Annual Report of the Bioethics Commission submitted to the Federal Chancellor October 2013 October 2014

Transcription

1 Annual Report of the Bioethics Commission submitted to the Federal Chancellor October 2013 October 2014 Federal Chancellery Secretariat of the Bioethics Commission Ballhausplatz 2 A 1014 Wien Tel.: +43/1/ Fax: +43/1/ mailto: doris.wolfslehner@bka.gv.at

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Working method of the Bioethics Commission The topic of vaccination Participatory Medicine End of life Events Press Releases Preview of Projects Secretariat of the Bioethics Commission Contacts and Cooperation... 7 Appendix I... 9 Order of the Federal Chancellor Regarding the Establishment of a Bioethics Commission, Federal Law Gazette II No. 226/2001, as amended by Federal Law Gazette II No. 517/2003, Federal Law Gazette II No. 362/2005 and Federal Law Gazette II No. 335/ Appendix II Members of the Bioethics Commission since March Annual Report, October 2013 October

3 1. Introduction The Bioethics Commission was established at the Austrian Federal Chancellery in June Its main task is to advise the Federal Chancellor from an ethical point of view on all social, scientific and legal questions arising from scientific developments in the field of human medicine and human biology (BGBl II 226/2001). The Austrian Bioethics Commission currently consists of 25 members representing the fields of medicine, molecular biology and genetics, law, sociology, philosophy, theology and psychology. At the constituent meeting of March 25, 2014, the members of the newly constituted Commission were appointed by Federal Minister Dr. Ostermayer. Dr. Christiane Druml was re-elected as Chair. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Markus Hengstschläger was appointed first Vice Chair and Univ.- Prof. Dr. Peter Kampits was appointed second Vice Chair. The Amendment to the Order of the Federal Chancellor Regarding the Establishment of a Bioethics Commission (Federal Law Gazette II No. 335/2012) envisages a three-year term of office (Appendix I). Due to nine members having resigned from the Commission, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alois Birklbauer, Dr. Andrea Bronner, ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christian Egarter, OA Dr. Thomas Frühwald, Univ.- Prof. Dr. Arnold Pollak, Dr. Anna Sporrer, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Valentin, BMA, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jürgen Wallner, MBA and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christiane Wendehost, LL.M were newly appointed. In August 2014, Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Meinhard Kneussl was appointed as a member of the Bioethics Commission due to the death of Univ.-Prof. DDr. Michael Fischer. A List of Members is appended to this Report (Appendix II). During the reporting period, the policy of public dialogue and the Commission s international orientation were again actively pursued. 1. Topics Addressed by the Bioethics Commission During the reporting period October 2013 to October 2014 the following topics were addressed, with the inclusion of gender issues as an interdisciplinary subject: Working method of the Bioethics Commission The topic of vaccination Participatory Medicine End of life Annual Report, October 2013 October

4 2.1 Working method of the Bioethics Commission On account of the Amendment to the Order Regarding the Establishment of a Bioethics Commission at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the Rules of Procedure had to be adjusted. The document can be downloaded from the Bioethics Commission s homepage at Regarding the manner of organising the dialogue with representatives of the religious communities, a new format was discussed with Federal Minister Dr. Ostermayer. Exploratory talks in this respect were started by the Chair. 2.2 The topic of vaccination The Bioethics Commission was asked by the Federal Minister of Health to deal with the topic of "Vaccination". A working group set up for that purpose was tasked with elaborating an Opinion. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ursula Wiedermann of the Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University Vienna, presented the current "State of affairs regarding vaccination in Austria" in a talk given at the meeting held on June 2, Further discussion on the topic will be continued in the autumn of this year. Furthermore, an event on "Ethics and vaccination" was held at the Federal Chancellery on April 23, Participatory Medicine The discussion on "participatory medicine" had been opened already during the last term of office, when Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wagner and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Prainsack gave their introductory speeches. Health portals on the web increasingly shift the dividing line between those who create and possess knowledge and those who draw benefit from such knowledge. On the one hand, groups of patients actively search for information on symptoms, therapies and prevention; on the other hand, the services provided by health organisations can be directly viewed and assessed on the web. The Bioethics Commission finds it important that the issues related to research ethics and social ethics be systematically dealt with in light of Austrian law and practice. A first draft of an Opinion is already on hand and will be revised until the meeting scheduled for November Annual Report, October 2013 October

5 2.4 End of life After being newly constituted in March of this year, the Bioethics Commission started its discussion on "end of life". The starting point of this discussion is the Austrian Federal Government s request to the Commission to deal with the issue of a fundamental right to dignity at the end of life. Under the guidance, as regards content, of the working group set up for the topic, a concept for future activities was presented in April of 2014 and the public meeting on "end of life" was prepared. The meeting was held on October 6, 2014 and met with great interest from the public (some 160 participants). The purpose of the event was representing the most important European debates. Gian Domenico Borasio, Professor of palliative medicine, University of Lausanne, lectured on "Selbst bestimmt sterben: Was es bedeutet, was uns daran hindert, wie wir es erreichen können" (Autonomy in dying: What it means, what prevents it, how we can achieve it), Christiane Woopen, Chair of the German Ethics Council and Professor for ethics and theory of medicine, University of Cologne, gave an impulse lecture on "Ethische Fragen der Beihilfe zum Suizid" (Ethical questions concerning assisted suicide), Ines de Beaufort, Professor of health care ethics and head of the department of medical ethics and philosophy of medicine, Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam and Member of the Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies lectured on "Euthanasia in the Netherlands", Andreas Valentin, Professor of internal medicine, Head of the ICU for General and Internal Medicine of Rudolfstiftung Hospital in Vienna and Member of the Bioethics Commission presented the Council of Europe s Guide on the decision-making process regarding medical treatment in end-of-life situations. Further in-depth discussion on the topic are scheduled for the closed session in November of this year. 2. Events The Bioethics Commission organised and/or was primarily responsible for the following events: Project "Bioethics at Schools" The project "Bioethics at Schools" was originally launched in 2008 to give schools the possibility to invite individual Commission members to engage in a debate with pupils/students/teachers. The project was continued during the reporting period. On February 20, 2014 a discussion panel on "genetic testing on the Internet" was held at the secondary school Akademisches Gymnasium Vienna in which students of the final three years of the school took part. Univ.-Prof. DDr. Schaupp, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Köller and the Chair of the Commission acted as discussants. 2nd Meeting of German-speaking ethics commissions, March 10/11, 2014 The first trilateral meeting in March of 2013 was held in Vienna, on the initiative of the Bioethics Commission. The much lauded initiative was continued by the German Ethics Annual Report, October 2013 October

6 Council. On March 10/11, 2014, a second meeting was held in Berlin. The participants were members of the Bioethics Commission of the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the German Ethics Council and the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics. The meeting dealt with current issues regarding "child well-being", "vaccination" as well as "biobanks" and "personalised medicine". On the eve of the discussion, the Commission members were invited to attend a reception where they had the opportunity to talk with the President of the German Bundestag. A further meeting is scheduled to be held in Berne in the spring of "Ethics and vaccination", April 23, 2014 The event was part of the World Health Organization s European Immunization Week held from April 22 to 26, 2014, in Europe under the slogan "Prevent. Protect. Immunize" and, being organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, took place at the Federal Chancellery on April 23, The event was attended by some 80 persons (including the President of the Austrian Medical Chamber, the Patient Ombudsperson for Vienna, various high-ranking representatives of the school physicians, etc.). It clearly showed that there is a great need for thorough discussion of the topic. The event was opened by Federal Minister Alois Stöger. The keynote address was delivered by Urban Wiesing, Head of the Institute for Ethics and History in Medicine, University of Tübingen, and was followed by a discussion in which the other participants were Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ursula Köller, Head of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine and Infectious Disease Testing in the Rosenhügel Neurological Centre and member of the Bioethics Commission, Primarius Dr. Karl Franz Zwiauer, paediatric specialist and member of the National Vaccination Board, paediatrist and school physician Dr. Elisabeth Frank and Bernhard Propper, the father of an adolescent who died from the consequences of measles. During the reporting period, members of the Bioethics Commission and representatives of the Secretariat participated in various international and national events, of which only some are mentioned below: 4 th Meeting of the Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO), November 2013, Strasbourg (participant: Secretariat) 5 th Meeting of the Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO), 5-7 May 2014, Strasbourg (participant: Secretariat) Launching Conference of the Guide on the decision-making process regarding medical treatment in end-of-life situations, 5 Mai 2014, Strasbourg (participant: Chairperson, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Valentin, Expert) Symposium on euthanasia and assisted suicide organised by Die Presse, 19 Mai 2014 (participant: Chairperson) Twenty-first Session and Joint Session of the IBC and the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC), Paris, 8-12 September 2014 (participant: Chairperson) International Dialogue on Bioethics (EC-DB), 21 October 2014, Brussels (participant: Chairperson) Annual Report, October 2013 October

7 4. Press Releases During the reporting period, the following press releases 1 were issued: Ethics and vaccination Bioethics Commission launches debate Public meeting of the Bioethics Commission on end of life, 6 October 2014 Public meeting of the Bioethics Commission, Federal Minister Ostermayer hopes for recommendations until the end of this 5. Preview of Projects Third meeting with the German Ethics Council and the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics, Spring 2015, Bern The deliberations on Participatory Health, the topic of vaccination and End of life will be continued. 6. Secretariat of the Bioethics Commission The Secretariat of the Bioethics Commission was established at the Federal Chancellery with the aim of supporting the Commission, the Chairperson and the Working Groups in fulfilling their tasks. Its main responsibility is to conduct the day-to-day business of the Commission, to prepare the meetings of the Commission, the Working Groups, the minutes, background information, and to document the work of the Commission. The Secretariat is headed by Mag. Dr. Doris Wolfslehner. 7. Contacts and Cooperation Depending on the task in hand, the Bioethics Commission collaborates with the relevant government departments (e.g. the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy; the Federal Ministry of Health; the Federal Ministry of Justice; the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection; the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology). Links have also been established and intensified with relevant organisations and advisory bodies, such as the Austrian National Health Council, medical science associations, genetic engineering commissions, organisations for the disabled and self-help organisations /mode ft/3460/default.aspx /mode ft/3460/default.aspx /mode ft/3460/default.aspx Annual Report, October 2013 October

8 The Bioethics Commission maintains numerous international contacts and has a regular exchange of views with other National Ethics Committees. Furthermore, individual members of the Austrian Bioethics Commission are represented in the National Ethics Councils Forum, as well as in the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) of UNESCO. The Secretariat is also represented in the Bioethics Committee (DH-BIO) of the Council of Europe. Annual Report, October 2013 October

9 Appendix I Order of the Federal Chancellor Regarding the Establishment of a Bioethics Commission, Federal Law Gazette II No. 226/2001, as amended by Federal Law Gazette II No. 517/2003, Federal Law Gazette II No. 362/2005 and Federal Law Gazette II No. 335/2012 Establishment of the Bioethics Commission 1. A Bioethics Commission (Commission) shall be established at the Federal Chancellery. Tasks 2. (1) The task of the Bioethics Commission is to advise the Federal Chancellor from an ethical point of view on all social, scientific and legal issues arising from scientific advances in the field of human medicine and biology. In particular, this includes: 1. Providing information and promoting discussion within society on key findings in the fields of human medicine and biology and the related ethical issues; 2. Submitting recommendations for practical use; 3. Submitting suggestions concerning necessary legal measures; 4. Preparing expert reports on particular issues. (2) The tasks referred to in Para. 1 shall be carried out with reference to those general affairs of government policy that fall within the competence of the Federal Chancellery, including the coordination of the entire federal administration and efforts to achieve consistent cooperation between local authorities. Composition of the Bioethics Commission 3. (1) The Commission has 15 members. If necessary, additional members may be appointed, but only up to a maximum number of 25. (2) The Commission shall include in particular experts from the following fields: 1. Medicine; 2. Molecular biology and genetics; 3. Law; 4. Sociology; 5. Philosophy; 6. Theology; 7. Psychology. (3) The Federal Chancellor may appoint observers as needed. Their number must not exceed a fifth of the Commission members. The observers may assume an advisory function during the Commission meetings, but they are not entitled to vote. In all other respects, 4 Paragraphs 1, 4 and 5 as well as 5 shall apply. Appointment of Members 4. (1) The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Federal Chancellor for a period of three years. They may be reappointed. The three-year term of office begins when the members of the newly appointed Commission convene for the first time. If a member resigns before the end of tenure, a new member shall be appointed for the remaining term of office. When the term of office expires, the Commission shall proceed with its activities until the newly appointed Commission convenes. (2) When appointing members to the Commission, a balanced gender ratio must be taken into account. (3) The Federal Chancellor shall appoint the Chairperson of the Commission as well as two persons who serve as Vice Chairs from among the members. (4) During their first meeting following the Commission's appointment, the members shall disclose any potential conflicts of interest in performing their tasks within the Commission. Thereafter, the Chairperson shall be Annual Report, October 2013 October

10 notified of any changes with respect to conflicts of interest without delay. Any conflicts of interest which are laid open shall be made accessible to the public by the Secretariat (5) Membership of the Commission is an honorary unpaid position. However, members shall be entitled to the reimbursement of travel expenses. Termination of Membership 5. (1) Membership ends automatically when the term of office expires. 2) The Federal Chancellor may, for an important reason, recall Commission members before their term of office expires. (3) Members may resign from their position at any time by sending a written notice to the Federal Chancellor. Convocation of Meetings 6. (1) Meetings of the Commission shall be convened by the Federal Chancellor or the Chairperson. Meetings shall be convened as necessary, but at least every three months. (2) The invitation to the meeting should if possible be delivered to the members and to any appointed observers in writing (by mail, or fax) and shall include the provisional agenda. (3) For the purposes of an expert discussion of an item of the agenda, the Commission may invite to its meetings experts or other persons who are able to provide information. Presiding Officer and Procedures 7. (1) The Chairperson shall open and preside over the meeting. The final agenda must be set by the Commission at the start of the meeting. 2) The Commission may decide that its deliberations and the documents, or parts of documents, upon which they are based must be held in confidence. (3) A written record must be kept of the outcome of the Commission s deliberations. This record must also lay down views which dissent from the majority opinion. (4) The meetings of the Commission are not open to the public. The Commission holds plenary sessions. The Commission may set up working groups for the preparation of certain items. 5) The presence of at least one third of the members shall be necessary for the Commission to have a quorum. The Commission must strive to achieve the greatest possible degree of consensus when adopting resolutions. Resolutions shall be adopted by a majority of the votes cast; abstentions are not permissible. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson has the casting vote. (6) One member of the Commission can assign another member to act as his or her proxy during a single meeting of the Commission by giving written notice to the Secretariat. Each member can take over only one representation. The represented member must not be counted when a quorum is determined. The right to act as the Chairperson cannot be transferred upon others. In the event that neither the Chairperson nor the Vice Chairs are able to chair the meeting, the eldest member shall act as Interim Chair for as long as the latter are prevented from chairing the meeting. (7) The Commission shall submit an annual activity report to the Federal Chancellor. Rules of Procedure 8. The Commission lays down more detailed rules concerning the conduct of its business in the Rules of Procedure. These rules must be approved by the Federal Chancellor. Administrative Office 9. (1) The Federal Chancellery, in its capacity as the Secretariat, supports the Commission and its members in the execution of their tasks. (2) In so doing, the Secretariat is particularly in charge of: 1. Conducting current business on behalf of the Commission; 2. Preparing the Commission meetings; 3. Drawing up the minutes of the meetings; 4. Documenting the Commission s work materials; 5. Managing the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by the members and observers of the Commission. Entry into Force, Transitional Provisions , as amended by Federal Law Gazette II No. 335/2012, shall enter into force on October 1st, The Commission's next term of office begins on October 1st, Annual Report, October 2013 October

11 Appendix II Appendix II Members of the Bioethics Commission since March 2014 Dr. Christiane Druml (Dr.), Chair Markus Hengstschläger (Univ.-Prof. Dr.), 1st vice chair Peter Kampits (Univ.-Prof. Dr.h.c. Dr.), 2nd vice chair Matthias Beck (Univ.-Prof. DDr.) Alois Birklbauer (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Diana Bonderman (Assoc. Prof. Dr.) Andrea Bronner (Dr.) Christian Egarter (ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Thomas Frühwald (OA Dr.) Ludwig Kaspar (Dr.) Lukas Kenner (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Maria Kletecka-Pulker (Dr.) Meinhard Kneussl (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Ursula Köller, MPH (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Johannes Gobertus Meran, MA (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Stephanie Merckens (Dr.) Arnold Pollak (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Barbara Prainsack, FRSA (Prof.Dr.phil.,Mag.phil.) Walter Schaupp (Univ.-Prof. DDr.) Anna Sporrer (Dr.) Andreas Valentin, MBA (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Klaus Voget (Dr.) Ina Wagner (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Jürgen Wallner, MBA (Priv.-Doz. Dr.) Christiane Wendehorst, LLM (Univ.-Prof. Dr.) Annual Report, October 2013 October