Putting the demos in democratic deliberation: the search for public opinion about the ethical use of biospecimens [a meditation in three acts]

The creation of sustainable and ethical policies in health care and the life sciences requires soliciting and incorporating the attitudes and opinions of the "public," a difficult task that is even more challenging in a political polarized society and when the policies in question are explicitly normative. Using research on public attitudes about the use of their biospecimens and health data, we will look at various methods used to solicit those attitudes and consider the strengths and limitations of those approaches. We will reflect on the value of empirical data for resolving normative questions (in other words, the age-old is/ought problem) and think together about better ways to incorporate the opinions of the demos in health policy.