Abstract

In the past decades, scientific developments have tested the limits and quality of life and forced the integration of ethical and public policy considerations into the dialogue of scientific inquiry. In the United States the rapid growth of science and technology has resulted in a close interaction with, and profound influence by, the federal government. ;This dissertation attempts to explain how government and biomedical science research interact in the policy arena. The issue of fetal tissue transplantation research is used as a case study to elucidate what factors entered into policy decisions regarding this research at the National Institutes of Health , and at institutions funded by the NIH. A central finding of this work is that the definition of a policy problem determines the policy actions and outcomes. ;The value of this study lies in acquiring a better understanding of the fetal tissue transplantation research issue, as well as providing insight that may serve to construct a framework for understanding the development of future science policy issues. It is hoped that this research will encourage the inclusion of substantive scientific issues into general policy studies