Global Perspectives on Stem Cell Technologies EDITED BY ADITYA BHARADWAJ (original) (raw)
Related papers
Review of Good science: The ethical choreography of stem cell research
Medicine Anthropology Theory | An open-access journal in the anthropology of health, illness, and medicine, 2015
The theme of Charis Thompson's newest book is 'good science', defined as science 'with' ethics. This is a timely and important theme in the present age of biomedicine, and the book will appeal to a broad range of science and technology studies (STS) scholars, especially those working on social, legal, and ethical dimensions of biomedical science and global health. The subject of Good Science is stem cell research, which has been one of the most intense battlefields of science and ethics, not only because it involves experimentation with human tissues, mainly ova and human embryos, but also because it is at the interface of public science and personalized medicine. This book clearly has ambitions beyond just describing the ethical, legal, and social implications ('ELSI', in the field of STS) of stem cell research; it aims to intervene in science (with ethics)-in-the-making. Thompson incisively challenges the notion that ethics either impedes or follows behind science. Rather, ethics are proactive to and constitutive of science; they are 'at the heart of innovation itself' (p. 221). The 'ethical choreography' of the book's subtitle expresses the affirmative, productive role of ethics in scientific research and development. Thompson is an established feminist STS scholar who has worked extensively on assisted reproductive technologies, and who has consistently used the term 'choreography' to
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 2006
Feminists have indicated the inadequacies of bioethical debates about human embryonic stem cell research, which have for the most part revolved around concerns about the moral status of the human embryo. Feminists have argued, for instance, that inquiry concerning the ethics and politics of human embryonic stem cell research should consider the relations of social power in which the research is embedded. My argument is that this feminist work on stem cells is itself inadequate, however, insofar as it has not incorporated an analysis of disability into its considerations of the ethical and political issues that surround the phenomena. Thus, I consider claims that disability theorists and anti-disability activists have made about the research. I conclude by indicating that stem cell research must be situated within a cultural matrix that operates in the service of normalisation.
How can ethics relate to science? The case of stem cell research
European Journal of Human Genetics, 2012
We live in an era of an important turning point in the relationship between ethics (or, more accurately, bioethics) and science, notably due to both public interest and the gradual tightening of the gap in time between scientific discoveries and ethical reflection. The current bioethics debates of emerging situations (pluripotent stem cells, gene therapy, nanotechnology) have undoubtedly contributed to this change. Today, science happens and bioethics reflects on the possibilities, considers the risks, and advances proposals, which, without being scientific, can also imprint a mark on the path of scientific development. In this article, through the narrative of stem cell research, we will try to illustrate how bringing a bioethical viewpoint to the scientific debate can become a healthy exercise in both ethics and science, especially as narratives shift, as was the case in this field due to the introduction of induced pluripotent stem cells, the advent of which is not easily dissociated from the controversies related to embryo research. We should perhaps welcome this trend as promising for the future relationship between ethics and scientific research, providing a stimulus (and not a block) to the ever-evolving scientific discourse.
Cytotechnology, 2007
Biotechnology is at the intersection of science and ethics. Technological developments are shaped by an ethical vision, which in turn is shaped by available technology. Much in biotechnology can be celebrated for how it benefits humanity. But technology can have a darker side. Biotechnology can produce unanticipated consequences that cause harm or dehumanise people. The ethical implications of proposed developments must be carefully examined. The ethical assessment of new technologies, including biotechnology, requires a different approach to ethics. Changes are necessary because new technology can have a more profound impact on the world; because of limitations with a rights-based approach to ethics; because of the importance and difficulty of predicting consequences; and because biotechnology now manipulates humans themselves. The ethical questions raised by biotechnology are of a very different nature. Given the potential to profoundly change the future course of humanity, such questions require careful consideration. Rather than focussing on rights and freedoms, wisdom is needed to articulate our responsibilities towards nature and others, including future generations. The power and potential of biotechnology demands caution to ensure ethical progress.
Paramount publishing house, 2015
Recent developments in the life sciences-genetic engineering, cloning, and manipulation of cell lines, exploitation of genetic resources-have sparked vigorous debate about the ethical dimension of these new technologies. The reasons are not hard to identify. Life sciences research literally touches on issues of life and death. Biotechnology aims to serve basic human needs such as human health, food and a safe environment, touches on fundamental values, such as human dignity and the genetic integrity of humanity, can raise human rights issues such as access to health and benefits from scientific progress, raises concerns over equitable access to the fruits of new technologies, the consent of those involved in research, and protection of the environment. The ethical dimension of the life sciences touches many issues and policy communities, but one widely debated aspect is the ethical implications of protect in biotechnological inventions through the intellectual property. Intellectual property refers to legal rights resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. IP systems protect certain well-defined subject matter by giving limited entitlements to eligible right holders to exclude others from certain uses of the protected material. But an IP right does not give the holder the entitlement to use or market a product.