Philosophy professor Alfonso Gomez-Lobo, Ph.D. was named Wednesday as one of the 17 members of the Bush administration’s new President’s Council on Bioethics.

The new bioethics council, comprised of leading scientists, doctors, ethicists, social scientists, theologians and lawyers from around the country, will address a number of scientific-ethical issues. Specifically, embryonic and stem-cell research, assisted reproduction and cloning will be among the first issues of concern to the council. The issue of embryonic cloning took on particular immediacy in November, when researchers were able to create the first clones of human embryos. Stem-cell research is another contentious issue that has caused strong disagreement among liberals and conservatives.

“Council members have been chosen not only for their specialized knowledge, but also for their thoughtfulness and their devotion to serious ethical inquiry,” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said, according to a press release. “With their assistance and guidance, the president will continue to forge a policy on bioethical issues that reflects his strong support of science and technology, as well as his deep respect for human life and human dignity.”

“I am greatly honored by the appointment to the President’s Council on Bioethics,” Gomez-Lobo said. “The council has been asked to reflect on some of the most important and controversial issues that humanity faces today. The manner in which those issues are faced and resolved will probably have a significant impact not only on medical research but also on the way we view ourselves as human beings.”

“I expect to contribute to the debate from the perspective of moral philosophy and the history of ethics,” he said. “I am grateful to Georgetown University for support in facing this new personal and professional challenge.”

The chairman of philosophy department said he was proud of Gomez-Lobo’s new endeavor.

“The philosophy department congratulates Alfonso on his appointment to the President’s Council on Bioethics,” Philosophy Department Chair Wayne Davis said. “The department is proud that Alfonso will be joining such a distinguished group of scholars, and regards it as a fitting recognition of Alfonso’s contributions to philosophy, and of his efforts to communicate philosophical ethics to the broader public. The department is also pleased that Alfonso will be able to serve the nation by applying his intelligence and wisdom to some of the most pressing ethical issues of the day.”

Gomez-Lobo is a native of Chile and has taught at Georgetown since 1977. He specializes in Greek philosophy and historiography, the history of ethics and contemporary natural law theory. His new book, Morality and the Human Goods: An Introduction to Natural Law Ethics, is an exploration of Western moral philosophy and of the connections between morality and the protection of the basic elements of happy human life, such as family, friendship, knowledge and integrity.