Jeffries to Host PBS Series on Ethical Reasoning

Posted August 23, 2002

Law School Dean John C. Jeffries Jr. will host the 13-part series "Ethically Speaking" on Charlottesville's PBS station WHTJ (channel 41 and cable channel 5 or 7) premiering Sept. 5. The locally produced show will feature University of Virginia faculty, many from the Law School, examining ethical questions in public policy and personal life. It will air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. and be rebroadcast Sundays at 11 a.m.

Program Topics, Guests and Air Dates:

September 5: Testing Your Child's DNA

Parents have always made decisions about their child's health care, but when the outcome of genetic testing can affect siblings, cousins and others in a family's bloodline, who makes the decision to test a child? Who decides what to test for, and how does the family cope when a child has tested positive for a disease?

Panelists

• Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health and the senior investigator of the Genome Technology Branch
• R. Edward Freeman, Ph.D., Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration at The Darden School of Graduate Business Administration at UVa and co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics
• Margaret Mohrmann, M.D., Ph.D., Harrison Medical Teaching Associate Professor of Generalist Medicine and associate professor of medical education, religious studies, and pediatrics at U.Va.

September 12: Fighting an Ethical War

In today's conflicts, the definition of friend and foe is less clear, the role of states less obvious, and the distinction between soldiers and civilians more confusing. This episode looks back on Vietnam, Rwanda and the Gulf War to find out if it's possible to fight an ethical war.

Panelists

• Rosa Ehrenreich Brooks, J.D., associate professor at the School of Law and a member of the board of directors of Amnesty International
• Michael Joseph Smith, Ph.D., Thomas C. Sorenson Professor of Political and Social Thought in U.Va.'s Department of Politics

September 19: Body Parts Business

Today, nearly every part of the human body can be "recycled" to create medical products worth as much as $200,000 per body. Selling organs is illegal, but the human tissue trade goes largely unwatched and is now a $500 million industry. Panelists examine the ethical questions this thriving new market raises.

Panelists

• James F. Childress, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Practical Ethics at U.Va., the John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics and a professor of medical education at U.Va.
• R. Edward Freeman, Ph.D., Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration at The Darden School of Graduate Business Administration at UVa and co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics
• Julia D. Mahoney, J.D., associate professor at the School of Law and author of the article "The Market for Human Tissue"

October 3: Diplomas or Trophies?

Is education taking a back seat at universities with large athletic programs?

Panelists

• Paul W. Kingston, Ph.D., professor of sociology and former department chair at U.Va.
• Craig Littlepage, director of the U.Va. Athletic Department and member of the NCAA Division I Infractions Committee

October 10: Emotion vs. Logic

When we say someone is acting reasonably, it's a compliment. When we say they're acting emotionally, it usually implies weakness. In this episode, our panelists discuss the role of emotions when children and adults make moral judgments.

Panelists

• John Arras, Ph.D., Porterfield Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the bioethics minor program at U.Va.
• Jonathan D. Haidt, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychology at U.Va. and the 2001 grand prize recipient of the Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology
• Patricia Werhane, Ph.D., Ruffin Professor of Business Ethics at The Darden School of Graduate Business Administration at U.Va. and co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics

October 17: Ethics of Pregnancy

If a pregnant woman is drinking or taking drugs, should someone intervene? Is a pregnant woman is free to make her own decisions about her behavior and medical treatment. Or does the child's welfare justify restricting her behavior?

Panelists

• Mary Faith Marshall, Ph.D., professor of medicine and bioethics at the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a program associate at the Midwest Bioethics Center
• JoAnn V. Pinkerton, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U.Va. School of Medicine and director of The Women's Place Midlife Health Center
• John W. Whitehead, J.D., president of The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties and human rights organization

October 24: Teaching Kids Right from Wrong

Is teaching children morals a job for parents, schools or churches?

Panelists

• R. Edward Freeman, Ph.D., Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration at The Darden School of Graduate Business Administration at U.Va. and co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics
• James Davison Hunter, Ph.D., William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies and sociology department chair, and the director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at U.Va.
• Margaret Mohrmann, M.D., Ph.D., Harrison Medical Teaching Associate Professor of Generalist Medicine and associate professor of medical education, religious studies, and pediatrics at U.Va.

October 31: Wealthy Candidates, Winning Campaigns

In the 2000 elections, candidates spent some $205 million in personal funds to support their own campaigns. What is the impact of personal wealth on a politician's run for office and its effect on the composition of the U.S. Congress.

Panelists

• Lillian BeVier, J.D., professor at the School of Law who has testified before the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee on the constitutionality of proposed campaign finance regulations
• Larry J. Sabato, Ph.D., political analyst, director of the Center for Politics at U.Va. and the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs

Other programs to be announced. Check the WHTJ "Ethically Speaking" web site.