2012-17313. Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

AGENCY:

Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

ACTION:

Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will conduct its tenth meeting in August. At this meeting, the Commission will continue discussing topics related to the ethical issues associated with the development of medical countermeasures for children. The Commission will also develop and finalize recommendations regarding access to, and privacy of human genome sequence data.

DATES:

The meeting will take place Wednesday and Thursday, August 1-2, 2012.

ADDRESSES:

Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, 999 9th Street NW., Washington, DC 20001. Telephone [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Hillary Wicai Viers, Communications Director, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 1425 New York Avenue NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: [phone]. Email: [e-mail]. Additional information may be obtained at www.bioethics.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, Public Law 92-463, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given of the tenth meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Commission). The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, and from 9 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 2, 2012, in Washington, DC. The meeting will be open to the public with attendance limited to space available. The meeting will also be webcast at www.bioethics.gov.

Under authority of Executive Order 13521, dated November 24, 2009, the President established the Commission. The Commission is an advisory panel of the nation's leaders in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology. The Commission seeks to identify and promote policies and practices that ensure scientific research, health care delivery, and technological innovation are conducted in a socially and ethically responsible manner.

The main agenda item for the Commission's tenth meeting is to continue discussing topics related to the ethical issues associated with the development of medical countermeasures for children. The Commission will also develop and finalize recommendations regarding access to, and privacy of human genome sequence data.

The draft meeting agenda and other information about PCSBI, including information about access to the webcast, will be available at www.bioethics.gov.

The Commission welcomes input from anyone wishing to provide public comment on any issue before it. Respectful debate of opposing views and active participation by citizens in public exchange of ideas enhances overall public understanding of the issues at hand and conclusions reached by the Commission. The Commission is particularly interested in receiving comments and questions during the meeting that are responsive to specific sessions. Written comments will be accepted at the registration desk and comment forms will be provided to members of the public in order to write down questions and comments for the Commission as they arise. To accommodate as many individuals as possible, the time for each question or comment may be limited. If the number of individuals wishing to pose a question or make a comment is greater than can reasonably be accommodated during the scheduled meeting, the Commission may make a random selection.

Anyone planning to attend the meeting who needs special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should notify Esther Yoo by telephone at [phone], or email at [e-mail] in advance of the meeting. The Commission will make every effort to accommodate persons who need special assistance.

Written comments will also be accepted in advance of the meeting and are especially welcome. Please address written comments by email to [e-mail], or by mail to the following address: Public Commentary, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 1425 New York Ave. NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Comments will be publicly available, including any personally identifiable or confidential business information that they contain. Trade secrets should not be submitted.

Dated: July 9, 2012.

Lisa M. Lee,

Executive Director, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.