Anita Allen, JD, PhD

Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy,
University of Pennsylvania

Visit the archive

Anita Allen, JD, PhD, is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of several books, including Unpopular Privacy: What Must We Hide and Uneasy Access: Privacy for Women in a Free Society. She served on President Barack Obama’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues in 2010. Professor Allen’s expertise addresses both the philosophical and social justice aspects of privacy, particularly women’s reproductive rights and data privacy.

Listen to an excerpt

Read a summary

Professor Allen discusses her upbringing as an “army brat” in Fort Warden, Washington, and her family’s move to Atlanta, including difficult experiences in segregated schools post-Brown v. Board. She recounts her education at New College of Florida and the University of Michigan, her early interest in philosophy, and her transition to Harvard Law School. Allen shares her professional journey, from corporate law to teaching, along with her time spent as a news commentator. She also discusses her time spent with the National Endowment for the Humanities and on the advisory committee for the Human Genome Project. Allen offers her perspective on women’s reproductive rights, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, surrogacy, adoption, and interracial relationships, and the role of privacy in these issues. Allen describes her experience as a Black woman in philosophy, law, and bioethics, and discusses her work on Black pain. She concludes the interview talking about the importance of mental health law in the realm of bioethics.

You can find full audio, transcript, and other materials in the Moral Histories Archive.

Johns Hopkins University holds all rights, title, and interests to these records, including copyright and literary rights. The records are made available for research use. Any user seeking to publish part or all of a record in this collection must seek permission from the Ferdinand Hamburger University Archives, Sheridan Libraries. 