“The German Ethics Council grapples with fundamental issues that affect both individuals and society as a whole in its capacity as an independent body of experts,” Sautermeister explained. “This role includes issuing official statements to help shape public opinion and making recommendations for new policies and laws. I’m delighted to be able to contribute my knowledge to the council alongside experts from other academic and scientific fields and thus do my bit for society.”
Professor Gregor Thüsing’s appointment to the German Ethics Council came at the start of its new session in October 2024. The University of Bonn is thus currently the only institution to have two of its members on the council, whose work in the immediate future will focus primarily on ethical questions posed by neurotechnology and long-term care.
“I’d like to congratulate Jochen Sautermeister on his appointment earlier today,” said Professor Michael Hoch, Rector of the University of Bonn. “The German Ethics Council is gaining the services of an exceptional individual who has made a name for himself through his academic excellence as a moral theologian and the breadth of his inter- and transdisciplinary vision. That our University now has two representatives on this vitally important body is a unique form of recognition for the excellence and relevance of our research into some of the key ethical questions of our times.”
Professor Jochen Sautermeister is Professor of Moral Theology in the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn, where his work focuses on bioethics and medical ethics, among other things. He studied theology, psychology and philosophy and obtained doctorates in social and behavioral science as well as in theological ethics. He holds a number of offices, including as a member of the German Medical Association’s central ethics committee, a deputy member of the Central Ethics Committee for Stem Cell Research at the Robert Koch Institute, a member of the Ethics Committee of the International Xenotransplantation Association and a member of the Expert Council for Protection against Sexual Abuse and Experiences of Violence at the German Bishops’ Conference.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dr. Jochen Sautermeister
Department of Moral Theology
Faculty of Catholic Theology
University of Bonn
Email: sekretariat.sautermeister@uni-bonn.de
Phone: +49 151 5245-1381
