Policies of the International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (FAB)

Revised 10/2003

I. Administrative Structure of FAB

FAB is committed to a nonhierarchical, nonelitist administrative structure.  It is guided by two Co-Coordinators who are assisted by an Advisory Board.  The Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer/Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Country Representatives Coordinator, Listserv/Web Site Facilitator, Archivist and IAB Liaison are ex officio members of the Advisory Board.  In addition, no fewer than six and no more than nine other FAB members constitute the Advisory Board.

Appointed ex officio members serve two-year terms, renewable at the discretion of the Co-Coordinators. Elected members serve four-year terms at the end of which they rotate off the Advisory Board for at least one two- year period, unless an insufficient number of members choose to run for election to the Board. In such an event an elected Advisory Board members may serve two consecutive terms.

II. Roles and Duties of the Co-Coordinators

The Co-Coordinators are elected or re-elected by FAB's members every two years, through a postal ballot administered through the Philosophy Documentation Centre (see XI Procedures for election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members). Results of elections are ratified at the Biennial General Meeting and new officers take office on from the end of the FAB General Meeting held in even numbered years.

The Co-Coordinators perform the following duties:

III. Roles and Duties of the Advisory Board Members

The Advisory Board is made up of elected and ex officio members. The Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer/Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Country Representatives Coordinator, Listserv/Web Site Facilitator, Archivist and IAB Liaison are ex officio members of the Advisory Board.  In addition, no fewer than six and no more than nine other FAB members constitute the Advisory Board.  Elected members are elected or re-elected by FAB's members every two years through a postal ballot administered through the Philosophy Documentation Centre (see XI Procedures for election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members).

The Advisory Board members perform the following duties:

IV. Roles and Duties of the Treasurer

The Treasurer is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

The Treasurer performs the following duties:

V. Roles and Duties of Assistant Treasurer/Membership Secretary

The Assistant Treasurer/Membership Secretary is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-coordinators every two years.  If necessary, she may request funds from the FAB Treasury to pay an assistant to help her perform her duties.

The Assistant Treasurer/Membership Secretary performs the following duties:

VI. Roles and Duties of the Listserv Facilitator/Web Site Facilitator

The Listserv Facilitator/Web Site Facilitator is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.  Ordinarily, the Listserv Facilitator/Web Site Facilitator is the same person, unless there is good reason to divide these two positions.

The Listserv Facilitator/Web Site Facilitator performs the following duties:

VII. Roles and Duties of the Newsletter Editor

The Newsletter Editor is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-coordinators every two years.

The Newsletter Editor performs the following duties:

VIII. Roles and Duties of the Archivist

The Archivist is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

The Archivist performs the following duties:

The Archive will contain: annual lists of Advisory Board members, Officers and Country Representatives; bank and other financial statements; bibliographies (periodically compiled, listing work of all FAB members); grant proposals, award letters, and related documentation; history of FAB; keynote addresses from FAB conferences; membership lists; memoranda from Officers about FAB business; minutes of meetings; newsletters, anthologies, and other publications of FAB; policies and revisions; programs from FAB conferences; programs from FAB sessions at non-FAB conferences; reports (annual, committee, etc); sample election ballots; sample membership forms; summary of election results; speeches of Officers; tax returns; tax-exemption documents.

Duplicate documents are kept in the Archive only if they contain important marginalia.

The Archive does not include: electronic records, Listserv archives, Web-site archives, or scholarly work by FAB members (other than those listed in the Archive's contents above).

FAB Archive Access Strategy

Persons requesting information from the FAB Archive will submit their request in writing to the FAB archivist, detailing the nature of their request and the intended use of information obtained. Approval from the FAB Advisory Board will be obtained prior to granting access to information regarding finances, grant proposals, tax returns, membership contact information, and other information deemed by the Archivist to be of a potentially confidential nature. Expenses incurred in accessing archive materials (including photocopying and postage) will normally be the responsibility of those requesting access to the archive.

IX. Roles and Duties of FAB Liaison to the IAB

The FAB Liaison to the IAB is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years. 

The FAB Liaison to the IAB performs the following duties:

X. Roles and Duties of the Country Representative Coordinator

The Country Representative Coordinator is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-coordinators every two years.

The Country Representative Coordinator performs the following duties:

XI. Roles and Duties of the Country Representatives

The Country Representatives are appointed by the Country Representative Coordinator for two-year renewable terms.  Country Representatives must 1) be members of FAB; 2) have easy access to e-mail and some ability to read and write English; and 3) be willing to fulfill the duties of a Country Representative actively. 

Active Country Representatives who wish to continue in service are encouraged to re-nominate themselves to the Country Representatives Coordinator.  No more than two Country Representatives (and ideally only one) are appointed per country.  If two or more people wish to be Country Representatives for any given country, then the Country Representative Coordinator will act as a liaison to identify one country representative who will have primary responsibility as the country representative.

The Country Representatives perform the following duties:

Support for Country Representatives:

Removal of Representatives:

XII. FAB Nominating Committee

The current Co-Coordinators appoint a three-member Nominating Committee, chosen from nominations and self-nominations after an appeal on the Listserv.  The Co-coordinators attempt to have some diversity among this committee's members, who must have belonged to FAB for at least a year and be able to consult with each other by e-mail in time to prepare a slate by the Biennial International FAB Conference.  The Nominating Committee selects its own Chair. 

A. Preparation of Ballot for Election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members

The Chair of the Nominating Committee makes an appeal for nominations via the Listserv and when feasible the Newsletter.  Nominations are sought for new or continuing Co-coordinators and Advisory Board members to serve two-year terms.  Each nominee must be willing to serve and have a nominator and a second.  Current Co-coordinators are encouraged to re-nominate active Advisory Board members and/or to nominate new Advisory Board members; inactive Advisory Board members should not be re-nominated.

Advisory Board members must have belonged to FAB for at least a year; candidates for Co-coordinator must have belonged to FAB for at least two years and have actively demonstrated their involvement in FAB.  Diversity and international representation are sought, but Advisory Board members must have easy and frequent access to e-mail.  After the Nominating Committee selects a slate, each nominee is asked to provide a brief (75 words or less) biographical sketch, including degrees, field of work, positions held, and activities relevant to FAB's mission.

The Nominating Committee then prepares a ballot and an accompanying document with biographical sketches.  Space is provided for write-in candidates.

B. Procedures for Election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members

The Nominating Committee prepares the slate of candidates approximately three months prior to the Biennial International FAB Conference. It is communicated to FAB's members on the Listserv, and through the postal service when appropriate. The Nominating Committee also prepares a ballot which is forwarded to the Philosophy Documentation Center (PDC) for administration.

As part of the agreement with the Philosophy Documentation Center, PDC will send annual dues notices to all the present members enclosing our election ballot in alternative years.  Ballots would be mailed back to PDC in a return envelope together with completed membership forms and dues. PDC would open all the ballots and mail them anonymously to the Nominating Committee chair by a given deadline (approximately one month before the biennial conference). To avoid competition and to welcome and encourage volunteers, our elections take the form of ratifications rather than contests. This procedure is intended to preserve historical memory and provide continuity.

After the deadline for returning the ballots, the Chair of the Nominating Committee counts the ballots and sends personal messages to each candidate. Election results are then announced at the Biennial International FAB conference, on the Listserv and in the Newsletter

XIII. FAB Grants Committee

The Co-Coordinators appoint a three to five member Grants Committee who select their own Chair.

The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the Committee.

The Grants Committee performs the following duties:

A. Application Procedure for Travel and Registration Grants

B. Rationale and Criteria for FAB Travel and Registration Grants

XIV. FAB Biennial International Program Committee

The Co-coordinators appoint a three to five person Biennial International Program Committee who select their own Chair.  At least one member of the Committee must reside in the country where the Conference is held.  The final program must be approved by the Co-Coordinators.

The Program Committee performs the following duties: