ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
A Special Thanks
to
Our Outgoing
Co-Coordinators
MEET THE
NEW
CO-COORDINATORS
This is written on the heels of another fantastic FAB Congress. While there may have been a smaller number of people at this year’s FAB Congress, I (Sue) can honestly say that the overall quality of presentations at FAB Congresses just keeps getting better. The highlights for me of this Congress were the plenaries presented by Chinese feminists. Especially noteworthy was the panel on rural health care and suicide in women that highlighted the tensions between rapid economic growth in urban areas of China and the isolation and poverty of women and their families outside the major population centers. I think I speak for many who were there in particularly noting the very moving documentary on the “Stories behind the Chinese Version of Vagina Monologues” by Xiaoming Ai and Jie Hu, with Xiaoming’s commentary. Clearly this immensely powerful and politically engaged work could not have been made just a decade ago in China. Jing-Bao Nie, who was our Congress co-president, did FAB proud in his hard work in inviting speakers of such caliber, and making their participation possible. Many people (FAB members and others) went out of their way to comment, “once again the joint IAB/FAB sessions were the high-point of the World Congress.” I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Jing-Bao, Renzong Qiu, the FAB program committee, Catherine Li and all those who presented and attended the Congress for making this Congress another FAB success. I trust that most of the participants in the Congress got a chance to explore some of Beijing’s many, many sights and to marvel at the sheer volume of energy being expended on so many activities in that vast, dirty, fascinating and rapidly changing city.
Sadly, Françoise was not able to attend the Congress, as she damaged her back just before she was to travel to Beijing and could not fly. Although her wishes (and several presentations) were with the Congress, her absence was missed. She is recuperating well.
FAB has benefited from the support of the IAB Board in negotiating a good bargaining position with the local IAB Congress organizers and conference venues. To varying degrees, local organizers have underwritten the FAB Congresses and given FAB, as a Network of the IAB, concessions on conference venues, meals, conference support, etc. In recent years this has been facilitated by the significant presence of FAB members on the Board of the IAB (currently Rosie Tong, Florencia Luna, Debora Diniz and Susan Dodds). Florencia and Rosie reach the end of their terms in 2007 and are not eligible for reelection, and Debora is also up for reelection in 2007. It would be great to have more FAB members who are IAB members stand for the IAB Board (and for more FAB members to become IAB members so they can vote in the IAB elections!). Please see the FAB website for the link to the IAB website for membership information.
The next IAB World Congress of Bioethics is to be held in Croatia in September, 2008. The Croatian organizers have indicated that they wish to work closely with FAB for another successful FAB Congress, and the Co-coordinators and Board will need to identify from our membership someone who can assist us on the ground (or not too far away in other parts of Europe) to bring that conference together (any volunteers should contact the incoming Co-coordinators, Wendy Rogers or Carolyn McLeod—the sooner the better!).
This was the final meeting for both Françoise and Sue as Co-coordinators; we are now in the process of handing our responsibilities on to the next team: Wendy Rogers (Australia) and Carolyn McLeod (Canada), Co-coordinators, and the newly ratified FAB Board: Dafna Feinholz Klip (Mexico), Robin Fiore (USA), Ana Cristina Gonzalez Vélez (Colombia), Jackie Leach Scully (Switzerland), Hilde Lindemann (USA), Barbara Nicholas (New Zealand), Laura Purdy (USA) and Julia Tao (China) as well as the incoming ex officio Board members.
At the FAB General meeting, reports from various FAB officers were received: membership secretary, nominating committee, coordinator of country representatives, treasurer, newsletter editor, IAB liaison, and archivist (with a timely request from Corolyn Ells for archival material). Ruth Groenhout sent a report on her efforts to set up a new FAB website to allow the website to be upgraded and to make the website less dependent on any particular institution (noting that FAB has been very lucky to have been able to use a Michigan State University site for many years gratis, but it cannot presume that such support will continue indefinitely). Among the possible new website features raised by members at the General Meeting was the possibility of developing a discussion space on the website separate from the list-serv for FABsters to share ideas, to seek information and to advertise events. Ruth will be consulted on whether these additional features can be readily included in the proposed new site.
A report from the interim editorial board for the FAB journal –Calyx: journal of feminist bioethics – was also received from Françoise as the interim editorial board Chair. At this stage considerable work has been completed by the committee (a statement of the aims of the journal, naming, initial negotiations on a publishing contract, statement of editorial duties). Negotiations to identify an academic institution to host the journal continue.
In addition, a number of issues were raised for discussion, including the idea of holding FAB panels or symposia in conjunction with major conferences like FEAST (Feminist Ethics and Social Theory) or ASBH (American Society for Bioethics and Humanities) in the years between IAB World Congresses. In order to maintain FAB’s commitment to its links with IAB and to an international focus, it is important that any FAB activities in “odd” (2007, 2009, etc) years not compete with the “even-year” FAB Congresses, and so they would be better presented as FAB sponsored panels or sessions (with the approval of the Co-coordinators). This could be done by groups of FAB members who are intending to present work and conferences and wish to highlight the feminist bioethics approaches used in their works or by satellite FAB organizations (like FAB-Chile, through which Carolina Valdebenito has organized a range of activities).
Finally, the Nominating Committee proposed changes to the FAB policies to allow for an electronic ballot for our bi-annual process of nomination and ratification of the FAB Board and Co-coordinators. With minor modification that policy change was readily accepted.
The past two years have been busy and challenging ones for your Co-coordinators. We have been very heartened by the level of support we have received from the Board and membership and we look forward to continuing to support FAB from the Board (Françoise continuing as Interim Editorial Board Chair, Sue as IAB liaison). We wish Carolyn and Wendy all the best as they carry FAB forward.
Susan Dodds and Françoise Baylis
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And from your NEW Co-Coordinators
Sue and Françoise have set a high standard for those following in their footsteps, following an unprecedented level of activity in FAB during the past two years. We congratulate them and plan to build on their work. In particular, in 2006-8, we hope to see the work of the interim editorial board come to fruition with the successful establishment of the FAB journal, an increased profile for FAB via the revised website in 2006-8, and further growth in the strength and activities of the country representatives' network. In addition to the elected members of the Advisory Board, we will be supported in our work by the ex-officio members for this biennium who are:
Treasurer: Anne Donchin
Membership Secretary/ Assistant Treasurer: Rachel Ankeny
Listserv Facilitator & Web Site Facilitator: Ruth Groenhout
Newsletter Editor: Toby Schonfeld
Country Representatives Coordinator: Susana Sommer
Liaison with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB): Sue Dodds
Archivist: Carolyn Ells
We look forward to working with the Board and members of FAB and urge you to start your planning early for our next congress in Croatia 2006.
Carolyn McLeod and Wendy Rogers
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