Welcome to the Project

Making Sense of: Issues at the Beginning of Life is a project which revolves around an annual series of conferences staged each September in the UK and Europe. An active publication programme supports the work of the project, along with an email discussion group.

The conferences aim to create working 'encounter' groups - giving the opportunity to meet and open conversations with people from different disciplines, professions, organisations, etc. These are innovative, cutting-edge inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research forums which focus on the impact of and implications for human beings

Issues at the Beginning of Life

This is a new project for 2003. It is an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary project which aims to situate discussions about issues at the beginning of life within the context of the links between and implications which emerge out of the dual impact of antenatal and post-natal technologies, and the culture of progeny at all costs. The project will also attempt to assess the ethical considerations of these factors, their impact on our understanding of rights and look boldly at the possibilities which are emerging for a future we may or may not want.

Core Themes for Development

The project will initially seek to explore the following five themes:

• Pre-birth Strategies and the use of technology.
• Issues of Termination and the Question of Rights.
• The use of human material and the development and use of animal material.
• Use of cosmetics and cosmetic surgery.
• Assessing the shape of things to come.

Building Perspectives

In building a forum whereby people can meet and encounter perspectives from differing areas and contexts, insights and contributions are sought from those working in;

Art and art therapy, creative writing, English literature, history of medicine, media studies, the performing arts (dance, music, theatre), philosophy and ethics, psychology and social psychology, social sciences, sociology and socio-biology, theology and religious studies

Anatomy, child care nursing, clinical psychology, counseling, health education, health services, hospital administration, immunology, medical and surgical nursing, medicine and the medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, public health care

Practitioners in health care fields - doctors, GP's, surgeons, health care workers, care givers, hospice workers

This only an indicative list - all persons with an interest in and who wish to offer an insight into the themes of the project are welcome to become involved.