Steroids in sports. Adderall in children. Genetic selection in the unborn.

These hot-button issues will be discussed at a Kansas University School of Law Symposium on Friday.

The daylong symposium will examine the law, policy and ethics behind those topics and others.

Jonathan Grossman, symposium editor for the Kansas Law Review, said the event would be of interest to anyone, even those without a law degree.

“That stuff touches on topics that anyone who picks up a remote hears about on TV,” Grossman said. “And human genetic enhancement is a major issue by itself.”

This year’s symposium, which takes place annually, will bring attorneys, academic professionals and politicians together at Green Hall to discuss the emerging field of biolaw. Biolaw can encompass all of the above topics as well as how patent law could affect human evolution and access to cutting-edge medical treatments.

“When you do a symposium, you want it to be on a hot topic,” Grossman said. “There’s a lot of news articles and cases right now where traditional laws are being challenged in this area.”

Grossman said the abundance of biotechnology and animal science companies in Kansas and Missouri, as well as a strong interest in science among the symposium organizers, meant that biolaw was the perfect topic for this year’s event. Grossman said the topic also helped the planners arrange sponsorships to underwrite the program.

Grossman, a third-year law student, said he’d gotten a lot of positive feedback from attorneys interested in the topic and expected a good crowd for the all-day event.

“We’ve got world-class speakers,” Grossman said. “Hopefully this will draw more people than just those attorneys looking for (continuing education) credit.”