I’m sorry to report that Adrienne Asch, director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University and the Edward and Robin Milstein Professor of Bioethics, died yesterday of cancer. A social psychologist by training (but no relation to Solomon Asch), Professor Asch’s scholarly focus was the ethical, legal, and social implications of human reproduction, especially as it intersects with disability studies. An interdisciplinary scholar (as most bioethicists are), she taught courses at Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Cardozo School of Law, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
I didn’t always agree wth Adrienne, but she was an important scholar. As Sam Bagenstos noted, her death is “a huge loss for the disability world.” Among other things, she challenged pro-choice scholars and activists to rethink the implications of some of their policies and theories for people with disabilities in present and future generations. Here is one example of many.
Adrienne was also a lovely person. Some years ago, I picked her up from Wellesley (where she then taught) and drove her to Dartmouth (where I was a college senior) for a brief visit. It was, from start to finish, an epic fail on my part. In my defense, her assistant gave me terrible directions, I was then unfamiliar with the joy that is Boston rush “hour” traffic (including the fact that it begins at 3pm and lasts until 7pm), and this was before either cell phones or GPS. Nevertheless, what was supposed to be a three-hour drive that left time for her to change clothes at the hotel before her first talk became a four-hour tour during which I grew increasingly anxious about the prospects of getting her to the church on time, as it were. Adrienne was blind (hence my driving her), and this raised the additional issue of what to tell her, and when, about our travels. Ever the intellectual and mentor, as soon as she got into the car, she wanted to hear about the honors thesis I was writing. Alas, I turned out to be utterly incapable of navigating Boston’s traffic and discussing French existentialism at the same time, and soon we were hopelessly lost. I stopped at a gas station for directions (remember when you had to do that?), but by then we had hit rush hour traffic. We finally reached the highway and I managed to make up some time. As we discussed all manner of topics bioethical, I did the math and figured that if I, ahem, flirted with the speed limit, I could just have her to her talk on time.
The New Hampshire state police were not accommodating of this plan, however. Mere yards from our final exit I saw flashing lights in my rearview mirror. Feeling the car slowing down as I pulled over, Adrienne asked brightly, “Oh, are we there?” Mortified, I told her that no, in fact, I was being pulled over for speeding and that we would now certainly be at least a few minutes late for her talk. She would have been well within her rights to be furious with me, but was instead remarkably understanding. (The administrative director of Dartmouth’s Ethics Institute, by contrast, chided me for acting unethically by speeding.) Here‘s a great interview with Adrienne that captures some of her personality, as well as her views about disability and her experiences living with a disability.
Yeshiva University’s notice of Adrienne’s death, along with funeral and shiva details, is here. Tributes are being collected here. She will be missed.
[Cross-posted at The Faculty Lounge]