Lori Andrews, JD

Professor Emerita of Law,
Chicago Kent College of Law

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Lori Andrews, JD, is Professor Emerita of Law at Chicago Kent College of Law. She is the author of a number of books, both non-fiction and fiction, including I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy and Immunity. Professor Andrews is known for her expertise regarding privacy with regards to reproductive and genetic technologies. She has served as an advisor to such organizations as the March of Dimes, the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Andrews discusses growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and the formative experience of observing her sister’s interactions with the healthcare system. She reflects on important mentors, from her elementary school teacher who impressed upon her the importance of hands-on learning to graduate school mentors. She discusses her time at Yale Law School under the mentorship of Lowell Levin, where she began to combine public health studies with legal research projects. Andrews detailed her work on the legal and ethical implications of reproductive technologies, cloning, newborn screening laws, and medical errors, in which she advocated for informed consent and patient empowerment. She also highlighted her work on genetic testing and gene patents, particularly the landmark case against Myriad Genetics. Andrews criticized the increasing role of industry and private interests on bioethics committees, the hype around technological advancements, and the lack of regulation in reproductive technologies, particularly sperm banks. The interview ends with a broad discussion of privacy, including the impact of social media and the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in bioethics.

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

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