Abstract
In 2007 the Ethics Council Act was passed by the German parliament. It defines the German Ethics Council as an independent committee of experts pursuing “the questions of ethics, society, science, medicine and law that arise and the probable consequences for the 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” (EthRG 2,1). Its members are appointed by the president of the German Bundestag. They are experts in ethics, philosophy, theology, and medicine, and representatives of important groups in society (e.g. the Christian Churches and other religious communities). Publishing opinions on current ethical issues, especially in the life sciences is one of the tasks of the German Ethics Council. Between 2007 and 2016 it has published 13 opinions on various issues.
Coors, Michael