| What public policy interests justify State intervention in the conduct of scientific research? Where intervention is justified, how can it be achieved least intrusively and most effectively? This thesis explores three types of risk that may justify State intervention, and considers approaches to intervention in selected jurisdictions. Typically, the public interest is engaged when research poses an actual or potential threat to physical integrity, as was the case with recombinant DNA research. It is also engaged when research presents a real or perceived threat to moral values, as is the case with embryonic stem cell research. Less obviously but of equal concern is the threat to freedom of inquiry when market forces exert undue influence over the conduct of research, as is the case with patent law and biotechnology. How the State responds to these risks is an important measure of how it chooses to define and protect the public interest. |
