Bioethics and Religion Unit
The Bioethics and Religion Unit invites proposals for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Denver. We welcome submissions that explore the intersection of bioethics, religion, and society through diverse methodological and disciplinary approaches. Proposals related to the 2026 Presidential Theme of "The Future" are particularly welcome and relevant to our Unit. Proposals addressing the following themes are particularly encouraged. We also welcome proposals that address innovative or emerging topics related to religion and bioethics not explicitly listed below:
- AI and Bioethics:
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and other domains raises complex ethical and religious questions. How does AI challenge traditional conceptions of autonomy, dignity, and the patient-provider relationship? What theological or ethical insights might guide the use of AI in decision-making, predictive medicine, or healthcare resource allocation? We seek papers that address these issues, as well as broader concerns such as bias in AI algorithms, the ethical implications of AI replacing human roles, and the role of religion in shaping AI ethics.
- The Future of Religion and Bioethics:
As healthcare continues to evolve, so do the relationships with religious and spiritual patients, providers, and caregivers. We welcome interdisciplinary, empirical, and other thoughtful proposals on the future of religion and bioethics, moving beyond traditional arguments and positions and into new approaches and questions.
3. Religion, Bioethics, and Sources of Health Knowledge:
Changes in the political structures of healthcare and health knowledge in the United States are reshaping the frameworks used to think about health and bioethical questions related to values and knowledge of what is true about health, including safety and efficacy of treatments. With the shifts in whose knowledge claims are authoritative, such as changes in leadership and philosophy in relation to scientific evidence within the Department of Health & Human Services, medical and scientific groups are adjusting their focus to providing scientific sources of health recommendations that contrast with those coming from the federal government, where there had previously been consensus. Religious and spiritual communities are responding to these changes in different ways, and we welcome proposals that address the religious and spiritual aspects of these shifts.
4. Future Healthcare Technologies and Religion:
Continuing with the theme of the future, we welcome proposals that address emerging healthcare technologies in relation to religious and spiritual communities, traditions, and practices. What bioethical questions will need answers in the coming generation, and how can we begin to approach them now?
This Unit offers a unique venue within the AAR for addressing the intersections of religion, bioethics, and health/healthcare related matters. It encourages creative and scholarly examinations of these intersections, drawing on such disciplines as religious and philosophical ethical theory, theology, ethnography, clinical ethics, history, and law. It seeks to undertake this scholarly work by drawing on a variety of perspectives (e.g., Feminist/Womanist/Mujerista, cross-cultural, and interreligious) and to demonstrate the contributions that religious and ethical scholarship can offer to the critical exploration of contemporary bioethical issues.
| Chair | Dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Michelle DeBaets | amy.debaets@gmail.com | - | View |
| Mark Lambert | mark.lambert@dmu.edu | - | View |