The human body and its parts are increasingly being bought and sold internationally by pharmaceutical companies, researchers, kidney and surrogate brokers and by individuals directly. In this unit we discuss the ethical issues that arise with the international commercialisation of the human body, focusing on the concepts of coercion and exploitation. Should such markets be prohibited altogether, or simply reformed and regulated to reduce exploitation and harm? Specifically, we discuss gene patents and access to medicines in the developing world, research conducted on poor people in developing countries, international markets in organs; surrogacy and embryo trading. -- Course Website
Instructor: Dr Tatjana Visak
Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in International Studies, Bioethics, Philosophy or Human Rights Theory.
