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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

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Jason Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Ginkgo Bioworks, USA speaking in the

Jason Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Ginkgo Bioworks, USA speaking in the "Biotech (R)evolution" session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 18 January. Congress Centre - Aspen. Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum - NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Ginkgo Chief Jason Kelly is Chairing a Federal Biotech Advisory Group. Is That a Conflict of Interest?

John Pelissero, senior scholar, government ethics, quoted by STAT News.

John Pelissero, a senior scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, said the fact that the committee is only advising Congress could actually limit conflict of interest concerns.

Most such commissions advise the executive branch, he said, where regulators can immediately enact policy based on their advice. But because of the notoriously slow and clunky American lawmaking process, the commission will be “like one step removed” from policy, Pelissero said. It could take years before members know if Congress listened to their advice.

“It’s not unethical for Congress to set up a body like this,” he said. “If you’re trying to get the best expertise and recommendations to the legislative branch, you probably do want people who are particularly immersed in a particular business or industry.”

 

John Pelissero, senior scholar, government ethics, quoted by STAT News. (paywall)

Ethics
media, government

Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum - NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)