The German Ethics Council deals with the great questions of life. With its opinions and recommendations, it provides orientation for society and politics. The members are appointed by the President of the German Bundestag.

The German Ethics Council was constituted on April 11, 2008 on the basis of the Ethics Council Act and succeeded the National Ethics Council established by the Federal Government in 2001. In the first ten years the German Ethics Council published 24 opinions on topics such as anonymous relinquishment, intersexuality, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic diagnostics, patient well-being and Big Data. He has thus earned great recognition as an important and appreciated source of impetus for advising politicians and the general public.