Daily Archives: November 28, 2012

Tobacco Companies Must Punch Selves in Face, Court Orders

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The Washington Post covers a new order by DC district court judge Gladys Kessler, arising out of an old RICO case brought by the federal government, requiring that the tobacco companies publish advertisements to confess publicly that they previously lied about the safety of smoking and manipulated cigarettes to make them more addictive.  I have pulled the district court order and posted it here, along with this appendix.  The order provides the exact language of the mandated advertisements, but no analysis.  Below the fold, I trace the convoluted path this case and a related case have taken through the compelled speech doctrine around the First Amendment, all thanks to a single judge on the Court of Appeals.

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TODAY: Stem Cell Therapy and Medical Tourism

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TODAY, September 28, 2012
3-4:30 pm (reception to follow)
Austin 111, Harvard Law School

Experimental breakthroughs within the field of regenerative medicine are reported in the media on a daily basis worldwide.  Despite this progress, the overwhelming majority of clinical problems for which stem cell-based intervention offers hope remain therapeutically unproven, and a major gap exists between current public understanding and the availability of innovative therapies.

This event will feature a distinguished panel of speakers addressing various aspects of medical tourism for stem cell therapy.  Presentations will cover the state of stem cell science, historical context and comparisons related to earlier instances of medical utopianism, empirical data on the nature of stem cell tourism, how to address patient hopes in the realm of unproven therapies, and special issues related to stem cell tourism by parents for their children.

The event will be moderated by M. William Lensch, Harvard Stem Cell Institute.  Speakers and topics include:

  • Brock Reeve, Harvard Stem Cell Institute
    Welcome and Introductions 
  • George Q. Daley, Harvard Stem Cell Institute
    Stem Cells: The Gap Between Current Science and Clinical Implementation 
  • Jill Lepore, Harvard University
    Resurrection, Past and Present 
  • Tim Caulfield, University of Alberta
    Stem Cell Tourism: Is the Problem Getting Worse? 
  • Insoo Hyun, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
    Therapeutic Hope and Its Challenges for Rational Ethical Discourse 
  • I. Glenn Cohen, Petrie-Flom Center, Harvard Law School
    Stem Cell Tourism, Children, Abuse, and Reporting

There will be substantial time set aside for audience Q&A, and the conversation will continue after the event at an open reception.

This event is free and open to the public.  Co-sponsored by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.