- Letzte Änderung: 15.07.2008
About us
Our mandate
The German Ethics Council shall be composed of twenty-six members specialising in scientific, medical, theological, ethical, social, economic and legal concerns. Its members shall include academics from the above disciplines, and in addition it shall include persons of repute who are particularly familiar with ethical questions of the life sciences.
The German Ethics council shall contain representatives of a variety of ethical approaches and a pluralist spectrum of opinion.
The members of the German Ethics Council may not belong either to a legislative body of the Federal Republic or of a Land nor to the Federal Government or a Land government.
The German Ethics Council shall pursue the questions of ethics, society, science, medicine and law and the probable consequences for individual and society that result in connection with research and development, in particular in the field of the life sciences and their application to humanity. Its duties shall include but not be limited to the following:
- informing the public and encouraging discussion in society, engaging the various social groups;
- preparing opinions and recommendations for political and legislative action;
- cooperation with national ethics councils and comparable institutions of other states and of international organizations.
Every year, the German Ethics Council shall hold at least one public event on questions of ethics, in particular in the field of the life sciences. In addition, it may hold further public events, hearings and public sessions.
The German Ethics Council shall prepare its opinions on the basis of its own determination, on the instructions of the German Bundestag or on the instructions of the German Federal Government. It will forward its opinions to the German Bundestag and the Federal Government for their information before publication.
The German Ethics Council shall report in writing to the German Bundestag and the Federal Government at the end of each calendar year on its activities and the current state of the social debate.
The German Ethics Council shall be independent in its work and bound only by the mandate given to it by this Act. The members of the German Ethics Council shall exercise their office in person and independently.
The deliberations of the German Ethics Council are public; it may also meet in closed session and publish the results of such deliberations.
The German Ethics Council shall publish its opinions, recommendations and reports.
If, in the drafting process, members have a dissenting view, they may express this in the opinion, the recommendation or the report.