Jérôme Lejeune and the challenges of Bioethics in the 21st century
May 17 - 18 2024
Rome - Italy
Jérôme Lejeune and the challenges of Bioethics in the 21st century
May 17 - 18 2024
Rome - Italy
Jérôme Lejeune and the challenges of Bioethics in the 21st century
II International Bioethics Conference.
International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune
The II International Conference aims to analyze the main contemporary bioethical challenges in the light of Jérôme Lejeune’s thought and legacy, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his dies natalis (1994-2024); highlighting the richness, depth, timeliness and fruitfulness of his thought; and enlighten today’s bioethical challenges to know how to preserve the dignity of the person in all circumstances. In addition, we want to reflect from an interdisciplinary perspective, scientifically, ethically and rationally grounded, on the main current challenges on Genetics, Biotechnology and Neuroscience, applied to human life and health: genetic editing of human embryos for therapeutic or enhancement purposes; prenatal diagnosis, assisted reproduction techniques, surrogacy and artificial wombs; the “three-parent embryo” and the challenges of synthetic biology; euthanasia and neonatal palliative care; gender dysphoria and hormone treatment of minors. Finally, we would like to enrich the scientific debate from a human nature and natural law based approach.
The Conference is specially recommended to:
- Researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses and other health staff.
- Philosophers and jurists, teachers and trainers in general.
- General public and all those interested in learning about the bioethical issues raised by contemporary and future science and technology.
“Medicine is not the art of happiness; but the art of protecting life”.
Jérôme Lejeune
30th anniversary of Prof. Jérôme Lejeune dies natalis (1994-2024)
Program
8.45-9.15h Welcome and reception of Conference participants.
Ms. Solène Tadié, Europe Correspondent for the National Catholic Register, (EWTN). Budapest, Hungary.
9.15-9.30h Welcome and inauguration.
Mr. Jean-Marie Le Méné, President, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Paris, France.
Prof. Dr. Mónica López Barahona, President, Jérôme Lejeune International Chair of Bioethics; Professor of Molecular Oncology, Centro de Estudios Biosanitarios (CEB); Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Madrid, Spain.
Welcome video:
Bishop Robert Barron, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota) and Founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, United States of America.
9.30-10.00h Inaugural lecture.
The scientific and moral legacy of Jérôme Lejeune.
“The quality of a civilization is measured by the respect it shows to the weakest of its members. There is no other standard by which to judge it”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Marina Casini, President, European Federation for Life and Human Dignity ‘One of Us’.
Mr. Jean-Marie Le Méné, President, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Paris, France.
10.00-10.30h Lecture.
Preserving human nature. Natural law and the challenges of contemporary Bioethics.
“Respecting human nature does not prevent progress, but rather stimulates it”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Rob A. Rombs, Dean and Director of the Due Sancti Campus, University of Dallas.
Prof. Dr. Orlando Carter Snead, Professor of Philosophy of Law, University of Notre Dame; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Indiana, United States of America.
10.30-11.00h Coffee break.
11.00-12.00h Pannel.
New frontiers of Biotechnology: gene editing, the “three-parent embryo” and interspecies chimeras.
“The development of biological techniques is and will be overwhelming: but will man be overwhelmed?”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Águeda Tejera, Director of the Degree in Genetics, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria.
Prof. Dr. Pilar Calva, Doctor of Medicine; Professor, Universidad de Anáhuac; Alumni of Professor Jérôme Lejeune; Former Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Anahuac, Mexico.
Prof. Dr. Maureen L. Condic, Professor of Neurobiology and Researcher, University of Utah; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Utah, United States of America.
Prof. Dr. Miquel-Ángel Serra, Team Manager, Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) and Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission. Ispra, Italy.
12.00-13.15h. Pannel.
Genetically based intellectual disability: medical care and research 30 years later.
“I see one extra chromosome but I see all the others – I see that they are human”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Video testimony by:
Ms. Domitília Antão, Mother of a child with Trisomy 21, patient of Professor Jérôme Lejeune. Portugal.
Chair: Mr. Mark Bradford, Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Word on Fire Institute.
Speakers:
Dr. Clotilde Mircher, Doctor in Genetic Medicine; Medical Director, Jérôme Lejeune Institute in Paris; Alumni of Pr. Jérôme Lejeune. Paris, France.
Dr. Pilar García, Doctor of Medicine and Surgery; Medical Director, Jérôme Lejeune Institute in Madrid. Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Ignacio Sfaello, Doctor of Medicine; Medical Director, Jérôme Lejeune Institute in Cordoba. Cordoba, Argentina.
13.15-14.45h Lunch break.
14.45-15.45h Workshop.
Medical ethics of prenatal diagnosis: pre-implantation diagnosis and non-invasive prenatal testing.
“Chromosomal racism is horrible, like all other forms of racism”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Elena Postigo, Academic Director of the Spanish Section, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune.
Prof. Dr. Maria Luisa di Pietro, Associate Professor of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Roma; Director, Centro Ricerca e Studi sulla Salute Procreativa. Roma, Italy.
Prof. Dr. Eiichi Momotani, Visiting Professor, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Juntendo University; Former Professor (Human Health Care), Toto University; Director, Comparative Medical Research Institute Tsukuba-city; Secretary General, Down Syndrome International Information Japan. Tsukuba-city, Japan.
Prof. Dr. Danielle Moyse, Doctor of Philosophy, Université Paris-Sorbonne; Associated Researcher, Institut de Recherches Interdisciplinaire sur les enjeux sociaux (IRIS). Paris, France.
15.45-16.15h. Lecture.
Transhumanism and the new forms of Eugenics.
“It is not medicine that we must fear, but the madness of mankind. […] We may be more powerful today than we were in the past, but we are not wiser: technology is cumulative, wisdom is not”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Fr. Apollinaire Cibaka Cikongo, Provost, Université Officielle de Mbuji-Mayi.
Prof. Dr. Elena Postigo, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Bioethics, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria; Academic Director, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, Spanish section; Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Madrid, Spain.
16.15-16.45h Coffee break.
16.45-18.30h Pannel.
The ethics of the good death: ethical criteria at the end of human life, neonatal reanimation and euthanasia, neonatal palliative care.
“Medicine is the hatred of the disease and the love of the patient”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Video testimony by:
Ms. Claire and Mr. Dean Gregory, Indi Gregory’s parents. Ilkeston, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Noia, Director, UOC Hospice Perinatale, Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli.
Speakers:
Prof. Dr. Paulina Taboada, Doctor of Medicine and of Philosophy; Professor of Bioethics and Director of Centre of Bioethics, Universidad Católica de Chile; Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Prof. Dr. Carlo Bellieni, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatrician Neonatologist, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, Università di Siena. Siena, Italy.
Prof. Dr. William Sullivan, Doctor of Philosophy; Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; Senior Research Scholar of Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Washington D.C., United States.
End of the first day
New Frontiers in Neuroscience and Neuroethics.
“Machines are man-made and it is not surprising that we find in the most magnificent of them a mirror of the way we are shaped. This means that machines – computers – are disembodied intelligence. Humans are just the opposite; they are very much an embodiment of intelligence. And that’s why each of them is so precious”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. James A. Peliska, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, University of Mary.
Prof. Dr. F. Alberto Carrara, LC, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Coordinator of the Neurobioethics Group, Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum; Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Rome, Italy.
9.00.-10.15h Pannel.Medical ethics of artificial procreation techniques: IVF, surrogacy and artificial wombs. How to answer the suffering that results from infertility?
“Contraception, which is making love without making a child; extracorporeal fertilization, which is making a child without making love; abortion, which is undoing a child; and pornography, which is undoing love, are, to varying degrees, incompatible with natural morality”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Dr. Giuseppe Grande, General Secretary, Movimento per la Vita.
Prof. Dr. Francisco Güell, Doctor of Philosophy; Professor, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Navarra; Principal Researcher, European H2020 Project “B2-InF: be better informed about fertility”. Pamplona, Spain.
Mrs. Jennifer Lahl, Pediatric Critical Care Nurse; Founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. California, United States of America.
Prof. Dr. Sagrario Crespo, Doctor of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor of Bioethics and Researcher, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Madrid, Spain.
Prof. Dr. Jane Wathuta, Director, Institute for Family Studies and Ethics (IFS), Strathmore University; Advocate of the High Court of Kenya; Member of the National Scientific and Ethics Committee (NSEC). Nairobi, Kenya.
Prof. Dr. Aude Mirkovic, Full Professor (HDR) of Private Law; Université de Paris-Saclay; Legal Director, Juristes pour l’Enfance. Paris, France.
10:15-10.40h Break. 10.40-11.55h Pannel.Gender dysphoria in minors: an ethical issue?
“The law does not contain all the rights. Human nature exists and whether we like it or not, we are obliged to take it into account”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Dr. Sagrario Crespo, Professor of Bioethics and Researcher, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria.
Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Sapin, Professor of Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery and Head of the Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire CHU de Dijon; Dijon, France.
Dr. Alfonso Oliva, MD, FACS, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon; Treasurer, United States Catholic Medical Association. Spokane, Washington, United States of America.
Prof. Tasio Pérez, Professor of Psychology and Bioethics, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Mary R. Hasson, Kate O’Beirne Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC); Founder and Director, Person and Identity Project. Washington D.C., United States of America.
11.55-12.40h Lecture.The historical significance of Jérôme Lejeune.
“Before God and men, we, the Servants of Life, testify that every member of our species is a person. The devotion owed to each one does not depend on his age, nor on the illness that might overwhelm him; from his conception to his last moments, it is the same human being who develops, matures and dies.” (Statement of the “Servants of Life” written by Jérôme Lejeune in 1994, at the request of John Paul II, for the foundation of the Pontifical Academy for Life).
Chair: Prof. Dr. Paolo Arullani, Honorary President, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma.
Mr. Alberto Michelini, Journalist and former Member of the European Parliament for Italy. Rome, Italy.
Mrs. Aude Dugast, Delegate General, Association des Amis du Pr. Jérôme Lejeune. Postulator of the Cause of Canonization of Jérôme Lejeune. Paris, France.
12.40-13.00h Lecture.St. John Paul II and Jérôme Lejeune: Two Lives at the Service of Life.
“Professor Lejeune always knew how to use his profound knowledge of life and its secrets for the true good of man and humanity and only for that. […] Professor Lejeune fully assumed the particular responsibility of the scientist, ready to become a “sign of contradiction”, regardless of the pressures of the permissive society or the ostracism he was subjected to”. Saint John-Paul II.
Chair: Mr. Pablo Siegrist, General Manager, Fundación Jérôme Lejeune España.
Mr. George Weigel, Author; Political analyst; Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC). Washington D.C., United States of America.
13.00-13.30h Closing lecture.Jérôme Lejeune and the defense of the poorest of the poor.
“Medicine is not the privilege of the rich and healthy. It is for the unfortunate and the sick”. Jérôme Lejeune.
Chair: Prof. Dr. Mónica López Barahona, President, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune.
H.E. Msgr. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See. Vatican City.
End of the Conference.Registration
When?
May 17th – 18th 2024
Friday, May 17th: From 8:45am to 6:30pm.
Saturday, May 18th: From 8:30am to 1:30pm.
Attention: Save the date, plan your tickets and accommodation, because the Pentecost weekend is very busy in Rome!
Where?
Pontificio Istituto Patristico Augustinianum
Via Paolo VI, 25
Rome (Italy)
Pricing
Registration required.
Not mandatory but highly recommended to help us cover the important costs.
General public:
- 30€ (early registration until April, 30th)
- 50€ (registration after May, 1st)
Students and large families: free donation
Priests and religious: free entrance.
Organizing Committee
PRESIDENCY
Mr. Jean-Marie Le Méné, President of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Paris, France.
Prof. Dr. López Barahona, Mónica, President of the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune; Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Madrid, Spain.
–
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Mr. Alejandro Bermúdez, President, Tilma Strategies. Colorado, United States.
Mrs. Aude Dugast, Academic Director, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, French Section; General Manager, Association des Amis du Pr. Jérôme Lejeune. Paris, France.
Mr. Grégoire François-Dainville, General Manager, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation. Paris, France.
Prof. Dr. Elena Postigo, Academic Director, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, Spanish Section; Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Madrid, Spain.
Mr. Daniel Schreck, President, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation United States of América. New York, United States of America.
Mr. Pablo Siegrist, General Manager, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation Spain. Madrid, Spain.
–
TECHNICAL COORDINATION
Ms. Rafaela de la Brena, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune. Madrid, Spain.
Ms. Laura Gotti Tedeschi, International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune. Madrid, Spain.
Mrs. Philomène De Place, Jérôme Lejeune Fondation. Paris, France.
–
PRESS CONTACT
Mr. Borja Centenera, Jérôme Lejeune Foundation Spain. Madrid, Spain.
Sponsors
Partners
SPONSORS:
Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, France
Knights of Columbus, United States of America
Fertilitas, Spain
Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Graduate School for Life, The Catholic University of Korea, Korea
Word on Fire, United States of America
PARTNERS:
Akademia Bioetyki, Poland
Altum Faithful Investment, Spain
Anscombe Bioethics Center, United Kingdom
Asociación de Médicos Jérôme Lejeune, España
Asociación Española de Bioética y Ética Médica (AEBI), Spain
Association des amis du Pr. Jérôme Lejeune, France
BioeticaRed, Spain
Catholic Institute of Sydney – University of Notre Dame, Australia
Catholic Physicians Guild of the Philippines, Philippines
Centro de Bioética, Persona y Familia, Argentina
Culture of Life Africa, Nigeria
Ethics & Public Policy Center, United States
Federación Internacional de Bioética Personalista, International
Fédération des Associations de Familles Catholiques en Europe (FAFCE), Europe
Fédération Européenne des Associations de Médicins Catholiques (FEAMC), Europe
Fédération Internationale des Associations Médicales Catholiques (FIAMC), International
Forum delle Associazioni Sociosanitarie, Italy
Fundación de Bioética, Costa Rica
Human Life International, United States of America
Jérôme Lejeune School, Canada
Movimento per la Vita, Italy
‘One of Us’ European Federation for Life and Human Dignity, Europe
Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Instituto de Bioética, Argentina
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ecuador – Sede Santo Domingo, Ecuador
Saint Joseph Institute for Family, Life and Bioethics, Egypt
St Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary, India
Strathmore University’s Institute for Family Studies & Ethics (IFS), Kenya
The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), United States of America
Universidad Austral, Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, Argentina
We are looking for sponsors, do you want to collaborate?