Trust in government and other institutions in the United States continues to decline, as a Pew Research Center survey finds "an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials." Forty-three percent of Republicans say the federal government presents a major threat to their personal freedom, as do 50 percent of independents who lean Republican. This contrasts with just 18 percent of Democrats, 21 percent of Democrat-leaning independents. Meanwhile, the level of public discontent is similar with other major institutions. Just 25 percent say the federal government has a positive effect on the country, but the ratings are just as low for large corporations (25 percent positive) and banks and other financial institutions (22 percent positive).
The American Bar Association has begun a "thorough" three-year review of its Model Rules of Professional Conduct in response to rapid "advances in technology and global legal practice developments." The ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 is holding hearings and soliciting input from lawyers and other interested parties. The initiative was prompted in part by the growing numbers of lawyers and clients seeking to navigate the complex international legal environment. The Model Rules on Professional Conduct, adopted in 1983, serve as the model for ethics rules in most states.
A new voluntary ethics code addressing the interaction of professional medical societies and for-profit companies was announced recently by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS). "Members and patients count on Societies to be authoritative, independent voices in the world of science and medicine," the group said. "Public confidence in our objectivity is critical to carrying out our mission." CMSS comprises 32 medical societies and more than 650,000 physicians. The code advises societies to develop educational programs, advocacy positions, and research grants independently of private companies, and stresses that professionals in leadership positions (e.g., presidents, CEOs and editors-in-chief of society journals) should avoid direct financial relationships with relevant companies.
President Obama has asked for a comprehensive study of the ethics of synthetic life after the J. Craig Venter Institute announced its creation of the first synthetic self-replicating life form. The review is the first assignment for a new Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, created to "identify and examine specific bioethical, legal and social issues related to the potential impacts of advances...in science and technology." The commission is chaired by Amy Gutman, president of the University of Pennsylvania and a leading expert in ethics and public policy. Some ethicists and theologians see the creation of this new cell as a dangerous attempt to play God with unforeseen consequences, while others stress the potential benefits of new medical treatments, new fuel sources and other breakthroughs. Related resources: Wall Street Journal article by Craig Venter and Daniel Gibson, "How We Created the First Synthetic Cell"; BBC Interview with Ethicists; Washington Post profile of Amy Gutman.
Anesthesiologists assisting with executions by lethal injection will lose their certification under a new policy of the American Board of Anesthesiologists. Board certification is required to work at most hospitals. A statement said "it is the ABA’s Professional Standing Policy that diplomates should use their clinical skills and judgment for promoting an individual's health and welfare. To do otherwise would undermine a basic ethical foundation of medicine which is – first do no harm." The American Medical Association has long opposed capital punishment, but the new ABA policy carries unprecedented sanctions.
A report challenging critics of international aid has been published by Oxfam, a coalition of 14 organizations addressing global poverty. The study proposes "systemic reforms" and contends that aid is "indispensable in unlocking poor countries’ and people’s ability to work their own way out of poverty," a view supported by Jeffrey D. Sachs, author of The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Opposing arguments are advanced by William Easterly in The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. Related resource: Oxfam Report, 21st Century Aid: Recognizing Success and Tackling Failures.
Jim Leach, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will speak Thursday, July 29, at Samford's Brock Recital Hall. The program is the Alabama stop on Leach's national tour to promote civility in politics and public discourse. 
