Anscombe Bioethics Centre

• Euthanasia and Clinical Practice (1982)Euthanasia and Clinical Practice: trends, principles and alternatives (London: Linacre Centre, 1982)
• Ethics in Nursing Practice (1988)F Fitzpatrick, Ethics in Nursing Practice: Basic Principles and their application (London: Linacre Centre, 1988)
• IVF and Justice (1990)T Iglesias, IVF and Justice London: Linacre Centre, 1990.
• Prenatal Diagnosis (1990)A Sutton, Prenatal Diagnosis: Confronting the Ethical Issues (London: Linacre Centre, 1990).
• The Dependent Elderly (1992)L Gormally (ed), The Dependent Elderly: Autonomy, Justice and Quality of Care (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992).
• Infertility and Assisted Conception (1993)A Sutton, Infertility and Assisted Conception (London: Linacre Centre 1993). (Published on behalf of the Bioethics Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.)
• Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (1994)Luke Gormally (ed), Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (London: Linacre Centre, 1994).
• Genetic Intervention on Human Subjects (1996)Joint Bishops Bioethics Committee (Helen Watt, secretary), Genetic Intervention on Human Subjects: The Report of a Working Party (London: Linacre Centre, 1996).
• Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (1999)L Gormally (ed), Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (London: Linacre Centre, 1999).
• Life and Death in Healthcare Ethics (2000)H Watt, Life and Death in Healthcare Ethics: A Short Introduction (London: Routledge, 2000).
• Healthcare Allocation (2001)A Fisher and L Gormally (eds), Healthcare Allocation: an ethical framework for public policy (London: Linacre Centre, 2001).
• Culture of Life – Culture of Death (2002)L Gormally (ed), Culture of Life – Culture of Death (London: Linacre Centre, 2002).
• Cooperation, Complicity and Conscience (2006)H Watt (ed), Cooperation, Complicity and Conscience. Problems in Healthcare, Science, Law and Public Policy (London: Linacre Centre, 2006).
• Incapacity and Care (2009)H Watt (ed), Incapacity and Care. Controversies in Healthcare and Research (London: Linacre Centre, 2009).
• Fertility and Gender (2011)H Watt (ed), Fertility and Gender. Issues in Reproductive and Sexual Ethics (Oxford: Anscombe Centre, 2011).
• Human Embryo Research (2011)Papers from conference on ‘Human Embryo Research: Law, Ethics and Public Policy’ published in a special issue of Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 17.1 (2011).
• Chimera’s Children (2012)D.A. Jones and C MacKellar (eds), Chimera’s Children: Ethical, Philosophical and Religious Perspectives on Human / Non-human Experimentation (London: Continuum, 2012).
• On the Ethics of organ transplantation (2014)M Jarmulowicz (chair) D.A. Jones (secretary) et al, On the ethics of organ transplantation: a Catholic perspective The Report of The report of a working party (Oxford: Anscombe Bioethics Centre, 2014.)
• Thinking Christian ethos (2015)D.A. Jones and S Barrie, Thinking Christian ethos: the meaning of Catholic education (London: CTS, 2015).
• The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016)Luke Gormally, David Albert Jones, and Roger Teichmann (eds), The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (St Andrews Studies in Philosophy and Public Affairs) (Imprint Academic, 2016).
• The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion and Childbirth (2016)H Watt, The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion and Childbirth (London: Routledge 2016).
• Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (2017)D.A. Jones, C Gastmans, and C MacKellar (eds), Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Lessons from Belgium (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).

In addition to a small in-house staff, other academics have been associated with the centre through co-writing, co-editing, or contributing to reports or publications or through acting as governors of the centre, associate research fellows, visiting research fellows, members of the Academic Review Panel or Anscombe Memorial Lecturers. These have included (with reference to notable association though they have also have collaborated in other ways):

• G. E. M. Anscombe – wrote the key section of the 1982 report on Euthanasia and Clinical Practice
• Professor David Albert Jones{{cite web |url=https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-david-albert-jones/ |title=Professor David Albert Jones }}
• Nicanor Austriaco – visiting research fellow 2014; member of working party that produced On the ethics of organ transplantation (2014);M Jarmulowicz (chair) D.A. Jones (secretary) et al, On the ethics of organ transplantation: a Catholic perspective The Report of The report of a working party (Oxford: Anscombe Bioethics Centre, 2014.) Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2021)
• John Berry – associate research fellow (1991–2019); contributed to Fertility and Gender (2011)H Watt (ed), Fertility and Gender. Issues in Reproductive and Sexual Ethics (Oxford: Anscombe Centre, 2011).
• Nigel Biggar – Academic Review Panel (2010–2012)
• Joseph Boyle – contributed to The Dependent Elderly (1992);L Gormally (ed), The Dependent Elderly: Autonomy, Justice and Quality of Care (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992). Visiting Research Fellow (2010, 2015), Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2015)
• Patricia Casey – Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2018); governor (2019–present)
• Maureen_L._Condic – Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2019)
• Willem Eijk – Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2016)
• John Finnis – Governor (1981–2007, 2010–2016); contributed to The Dependent Elderly (1992)[15], Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (1994),Luke Gormally (ed), Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (London: Linacre Centre, 1994). Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (1999)[19], Culture of Life–Culture of Death (2002),L Gormally (ed), Culture of Life – Culture of Death (London: Linacre Centre, 2002). Cooperation, Complicity & Conscience (2006),H Watt (ed), Cooperation, Complicity and Conscience. Problems in Healthcare, Science, Law and Public Policy (London: Linacre Centre, 2006). Incapacity & Care (2009),H Watt (ed), Incapacity and Care. Controversies in Healthcare and Research (London: Linacre Centre, 2009). and The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016);Luke Gormally and Mary Geach (eds), Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics by G.E.M. Anscombe (2008). Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2014)
• Anthony Fisher – Oxford DPhil, supervised by John Finnis, was the basis for Healthcare Allocation 2001;A Fisher and L Gormally (eds), Healthcare Allocation: an ethical framework for public policy (London: Linacre Centre, 2001). contributed to Culture of Life – Culture of Death (2002)L Gormally (ed), Culture of Life – Culture of Death (London: Linacre Centre, 2002). and Cooperation, Complicity and Conscience (2006)[23]; Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2012)
• Kevin Flannery – contributed to Fertility and Gender (2011)H Watt (ed), Fertility and Gender. Issues in Reproductive and Sexual Ethics (Oxford: Anscombe Centre, 2011). and The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016);Luke Gormally and Mary Geach (eds), Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics by G.E.M. Anscombe (2008). Academic Review Panel (2014–2018)
• Chris Gastmans – co-edited Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide (2017)H Watt, The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion and Childbirth (London: Routledge 2016). and helped organise the conference on which it was based
• Robert P. George – contributed to Culture of Life–Culture of Death (2002);L Gormally (ed), Culture of Life – Culture of Death (London: Linacre Centre, 2002). Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2011)
• John Haldane – contributed to Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (1999);L Gormally (ed), Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (London: Linacre Centre, 1999). Academic Review Panel (2010–2012); general editor for series in which The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016)[5] was published; governor (2022-)
• Stephan Kampowski – visiting research fellow (2017)
• Anthony Kenny – Inaugural Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2010)
• John Keown – governor (1990–2002); contributed to The Dependent Elderly (1992),L Gormally (ed), The Dependent Elderly: Autonomy, Justice and Quality of Care (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992). Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (1994)Luke Gormally (ed), Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law (London: Linacre Centre, 1994). and Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (1999);L Gormally (ed), Issues for a Catholic Bioethic (London: Linacre Centre, 1999). Visiting Research Fellow (2011); Academic Review Panel (2018–2021)
• Calum MacKellar – co-edited Chimera's Children (2012)D.A. Jones and C MacKellar (eds), Chimera’s Children: Ethical, Philosophical and Religious Perspectives on Human / Non-human Experimentation (London: Continuum, 2012). and Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide (2017)H Watt, The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion and Childbirth (London: Routledge 2016).
• Christopher McCrudden – Academic Review Panel dates (2015–2018)
• Anselm Müller – visiting research fellow and Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2013); contributed to The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016Luke Gormally and Mary Geach (eds), Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics by G.E.M. Anscombe (2008).)
• Aidan O'Neill – Anscombe Memorial Lecturer (2021)
• David Paton – contributed to Fertility and Gender (2011),H Watt (ed), Fertility and Gender. Issues in Reproductive and Sexual Ethics (Oxford: Anscombe Centre, 2011). Governor (2019–2022)
• Andrew Pinsent – associate research fellow (2010–2019); contributed to Thinking Christian ethos (2015)D.A. Jones and S Barrie, Thinking Christian ethos: the meaning of Catholic education (London: CTS, 2015).
• Thomas Pink – governor 2007–2013; contributed to The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe (2016)Luke Gormally and Mary Geach (eds), Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics by G.E.M. Anscombe (2008).
• O. Carter Snead – associate research fellow (2010–2019); contributed to Human Embryo Research (2011)Papers from conference on ‘Human Embryo Research: Law, Ethics and Public Policy’ published in a special issue of Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 17.1 (2011).
• Daniel Sulmasy – visiting research fellow (2012); contributed to Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (2017)H Watt, The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion and Childbirth (London: Routledge 2016).
• Roger Teichmann – co-edited The Moral Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe 2016Luke Gormally and Mary Geach (eds), Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics by G.E.M. Anscombe (2008). and helped organise the conference on which this was based
• Nicholas Tonti-Filippini – drafted the report On the Ethics of Organ Transplantation (2014)M Jarmulowicz (chair) D.A. Jones (secretary) et al, On the ethics of organ transplantation: a Catholic perspective The Report of The report of a working party (Oxford: Anscombe Bioethics Centre, 2014.)
• John Wyatt – Academic Review Panel (2014–2018)

According to Keown the substantial submission of the centre, drafted by Gormally and Finnis, was said by one member of the committee to have been “the best submission the Committee received” and the subsequent report of the committee “reflected several of the key points made in the submission”.J Keown and R.P. George, Reason, Morality, and Law: The Philosophy of John Finnis. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, p. 301).

A submission by Jones as director to the House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research 2001 was co-signed by twenty-three theologians including Cahal Daley, Kallistos Ware and Rowan Williams. Though the Committee did not reference this submission, it devoted an appendix to providing an alternative account of the Christian tradition.Report from the Select Committee Stem Cell Research (HL 83(i); 27 February 2002, Appendix 4). https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200102/ldselect/ldstem/83/8301.htm The submission was subsequently published as a journal article{{Cite journal |author=Jones D. |url=https://research.stmarys.ac.uk/id/eprint/3665/ |title=A theologian's brief: on the place of the human embryo within the Christian tradition and the theological principles for evaluating its moral status |journal=Ethics Med. |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=143–53 |date=Autumn 2001 |pmid=15080145}} and in two edited collectionsB Waters and Cole-Turner (eds) God and the Embryo: Religious Voices on Stem Cells and Cloning. (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003, pp. 190-203).T Lysaught and J.J. Kotva (eds), On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2012, pp. 675-680). and was the starting point for the book The Soul of the EmbryoD.A. Jones, The Soul of the Embryo: An enquiry into the status of the human embryo in the Christian tradition. (London: Continuum, 2004). which was described by Michael J Gorman as “perhaps the first attempt at a full history of the theological status of the embryo”{{Cite journal |author=Gorman, M. J. |date=2006 |title='Book Review: The Soul of the Embryo: An Enquiry into the Status of the Human Embryo in the Christian Tradition' |journal=Studies in Christian Ethics |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=125–128 |doi=10.1177/095394680601900112|s2cid=170459510 }} and by Julia Neuberger as “a surprisingly calm look at what Christians and others have had to say”.{{Cite journal |author=J Neuberger |title='Embryos and ensoulment: when does life begin?' |journal=Lancet |volume=365 |issue=9462 |pages=837–838 |date=5 March 2005 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71025-4|s2cid=54376666 }} It was shortlisted for the Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk/books_2007.php|title=Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing, Books 2007|website=www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk}}

Jones was author of a letter published in Nature, co-signed by an international group of 25 bioethicists, arguing that the question of whether to permit patenting of technologies derived from human embryo research “ought to be more than a question of European commercial interest”.{{Cite journal |author=Jones, D. |title='More at stake in stem-cell patents'. |journal=Nature |volume=474 |issue=579 |date=2011 |page=579 |doi=10.1038/474579d|pmid=21720352 |s2cid=205065558 |doi-access=free }} He welcomed the subsequent decision of the European Court of Justice ruling against patentability,{{Cite web|url=https://bioedge.org/uncategorized/interview-david-albert-jones-on-bruestle-stem-cell-ruling/|title=Michael Cook, 'Interview: David Albert Jones on Brüstle stem cell ruling', Bioedge (25 October 2011)|website=bioedge.org|date=25 October 2011 }} and later expressed the view that one positive consequence of Brexit was that it would “remove the 'malign influence' of the UK over human embryo research policy in Europe”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_95869|title=J Buxton, 'What's so special about the status of the embryo?', BioNews 886 (30 January 2017)|website=www.bionews.org.uk|date=30 January 2017 }}

After giving evidence Scottish Committee on Health and Sport in relation to the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill{{Cite web|url=https://archive2021.parliament.scot/S4_HealthandSportCommittee/Reports/her15-06w-rev.pdf|title=Health and Sport Committee Stage 1, Report on Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill, SP Paper 712 6th Report, Session 4 (2015), 30 April 2015. See paragraphs 79, 99, 186, 202, 242, and 274.|website=www.archive2021.parliament.scot}} and producing an evidence guide{{Cite web|url=https://bioethics.org.uk/research/all-research-papers/euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide-a-guide-to-the-evidence/|title=Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Guide to the Evidence (May 2022)|website=www.bioethics.org.uk}} to inform debate in Westminster over Marris Bill, Jones published a paper, together with the economist David Paton, on impact of physician assisted suicide on rates of suicide. The paper concluded that legalising physician assisted suicide was associated with an increase in total suicides (inclusive if assisted suicide) of 6.3%, a result that was statistically significant after controlling for confounding factors and state and year effects.{{Cite journal |author1=Jones, David Albert |author2=Paton, David |date=2015 |title='How Does Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide Affect Rates of Suicide?' |url=https://research.stmarys.ac.uk/id/eprint/3664/1/Suicide%20US%20SMJ%20as%20accepted.pdf |journal=South. Med. J. |volume=108 |issue=10 |pages=599–604 |issn=0038-4348 |doi= 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000349|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |pmid=26437189 }} The paper was quoted in the debate in Germany over a law to restrict organised forms of assisted suicide{{Cite web|url=https://dserver.bundestag.de/btp/18/18134.pdf|title=Deutscher Bundestag debate of 6 November 2015, pages 13157 and 13159.|website=www.bundestag.de}} and was also quoted in the context of the debate over voluntary assisted dying in New ZealandNew Zealand Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health Departmental Report End of Life Choice Bill, December 2018. See page 18, paragraph 105: https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/52SCJU_ADV_74307_JU65473/0ef8505fb4c7a82902a17f262f5f1d850a1057c2 and in Western Australia.Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices. My Life, My Choice: The Report of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices; Government of Western Australia: Perth, Australia, 2018, pp. 179-180: https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/Commit.nsf/(Report+Lookup+by+Com+ID)/71C9AFECD0FAEE6E482582F200037B37/$file/Joint+Select+Committe+on+the+End+of+Life+Choices+-+Report+for+Website.pdf The paper has been subject to scholarly criticism{{Cite journal |author=Lowe MP, Downie J. |title='Does legalization of medical assistance in dying affect rates of non-assisted suicide?' |journal=J Ethics Mental Health |date=2017 |volume=10 |url=http://www.jemh.ca/issues/v9/documents/JEMH%20final%20Legislation-iii.pdf |issn=1916-2405}}{{Cite journal |author1=Dembo J |author2=Schuklenk U |author3=Reggler J. |title='"For Their Own Good": A Response to Popular Arguments Against Permitting Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) where Mental Illness Is the Sole Underlying Condition'. |journal=Can J Psychiatry |date=Jul 2018 |volume=63 |issue=7 |pages=451–456 |doi=10.1177/0706743718766055 |pmid=29635929 |pmc=6099778 }} to which Jones has responded.{{Cite journal |author=D.A. Jones |title='Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and Suicide Rates in Europe' |journal=J Ethics Mental Health |date=2022 |volume=11 |url=https://jemh.ca/issues/open/JEMH-Open-Volume.html |issn=1916-2405}}

The utilitarian bioethicist John Harris in a highly critical review of the Linacre publication Ethics in Nursing Practice coined the term ‘linacracy’ for its approach:

“If theodicy consists in justifying the ways of God to man, 'linacracy' is justifying the ways of Catholics to each other... [this book shows] once and for all the wickedness to which Catholic philosophy can lead”.{{Cite journal |author=J Harris |title=Review of FJ Fitzpatrick Ethics in Nursing Practice |journal=Journal of Applied Philosophy |volume=6 |issue=2 |date=2022 |pages=240–243}}

John Walton, who chaired the 1993 House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics, found the centre's work on euthanasia to be “useful” but also “biased”:

“Although this book is so closely argued that it is not recommended for light bedside reading, it repays careful study and represents a useful, if biased, contribution to a topical and highly emotive subject”.{{Cite journal |author=J Walton |title=Review of Euthanasia, Clinical Practice and the Law |journal=BMJ |date=1994 |volume=308 |issue=989 |doi= 10.1136/bmj.308.6934.989 |s2cid=72563063 |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/308/6934/989}}

Similarly, MacKenna Roberts of Progress Educational Trust,{{Cite web|url=https://www.progress.org.uk/background |title=Our History (Progress Educational Trust)|website=www.progress.org.uk}} found the approach taken by speakers at a conference on human embryo research hosted by the Anscombe Centre to be “uncompromising”. However, in contrast to Walton, while she registered her “disagreements”, she did not perceive the perspectives she disagreed with to be expressions of bias:

“Catholic perspectives on the human embryo may be infamously uncompromising, but the intelligent and thought-provoking presentations at this conference allayed my concerns of bias, and demonstrated how taking account of the Catholic view can enrich and inform public debate and policy”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_93225|title=M Roberts, Event Review: Human Embryo Research - Law, Ethics and Public Policy |issue=627 |date=3 October 2011 |website=www.bionews.org.uk}}

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