Reproductive autonomy is central to women's welfare both because childbearing takes place... more Reproductive autonomy is central to women's welfare both because childbearing takes place in women's bodies and because they are generally expected to take primary responsibility for child rearing. In 2005, the factors that influence their autonomy most strongly are poverty and belief systems that devalue such autonomy. Unfortunately, such autonomy is a low priority for most societies, or is anathema to their belief systems altogether. This situation is doubly sad because women's reproductive autonomy is intrinsically valuable for women and also instrumentally valuable for the welfare of humankind. This paper takes for granted the moral and practical necessity of such autonomy and digs deeper into the question of what such a commitment might entail, focusing on the mid-level policy making that, at least in the US and Canada, plays a significant role in shaping women's options. This paper examines a large teaching hospital's policy on reduction of multifetal pregnancies. The policy permits reduction of triplets to twins, but not twins to a singleton. As there is no morally relevant difference between these two types of reduction, it is evident that inappropriate medicalisation can still limit women's autonomy in undesirable ways.
International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 2008
Abstract The Religious Right is using every means to impose its restrictive view of sexual and re... more Abstract The Religious Right is using every means to impose its restrictive view of sexual and reproductive rights on everyone under the umbrella of a so-called culture of life (CL). The CL prohibits the direct killing of innocents (but not, apparently, letting them die), and requires ...
International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 2005
ABSTRACT: This paper argues that bioethics needs to focus more centrally on political and social ... more ABSTRACT: This paper argues that bioethics needs to focus more centrally on political and social prac-tices that contribute to death, disease, or disability. A broader vision would help bioethicists show why attacking the root causes of premature death and physical suffering should ...
Page 1. 178 17 Assisted Reproduction, Prenatal Testing, and Sex Selection LAURA M. PURDY Use of a... more Page 1. 178 17 Assisted Reproduction, Prenatal Testing, and Sex Selection LAURA M. PURDY Use of assisted reproduction (AR) has exploded in the 30 plus years since the birth of Louise Brown, the first baby born via in vitro fertilization (IVF) (Soini et al. 2006). ...
The Baby in the Body Journal article by Norman Fost, Laura M. Purdy; The Hastings Center Report, ... more The Baby in the Body Journal article by Norman Fost, Laura M. Purdy; The Hastings Center Report, Vol. 24, 1994. Read The Baby in the Body at Questia library.
Feminist criticism of health care and of bioethics has become increasingly rich and sophisticated... more Feminist criticism of health care and of bioethics has become increasingly rich and sophisticated in the last years of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, this body of work remains quite marginalized. I believe that there are (at least) two reasons for this. First, many people are still confused about feminism. Second, many people are unconvinced that significant sexism still exists and are therefore unreceptive to arguments that it should be remedied if there is no larger benefit. In this essay I argue for a thin, "core" conception of feminism that is easy to understand and difficult to reject. Core feminism would render debate within feminism more fruitful, clear the way for appropriate recognition of differences among women and their circumstances, provide intellectually compelling reasons for current non-feminists to adopt a feminist outlook, and facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation between feminism and other progressive social movements. This conception of femin...
Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, 2000
Proponents of xenotransplantation hope that it will provide organs to fill the gap between the de... more Proponents of xenotransplantation hope that it will provide organs to fill the gap between the demand for and supply of organs for transplant. The scientific obstacles to transplanting animal organs into humans are daunting, as are the moral, political, and policy issues. Among them are concerns about animal rights and welfare, patient acceptance and informed consent, and broader public health issues, such as the cost-efficient deployment of scarce resources and the risk of disease in third parties. The latter is, in my view, the most immediately urgent issue. Pigs, the current animal of choice, carry many bacterial and viral pathogens, and it is currently impossible to assess the risk of disease to human populations. Because of this risk, a moratorium on xenotransplantation is necessary to protect public health; it is also questionable whether the technology, if successful, would be the most cost-effective way to promote health.
Two articles in the April 1976 issue -George M. Brockway's "The Physi-cian&... more Two articles in the April 1976 issue -George M. Brockway's "The Physi-cian's Appeal to Firsthand Experience," and Peter Steinfels' "Against Bioethicists" -comment on the emergence of a new professional: the medical ethicist. A quote from Ben Shahn on artists and aestheticians ...
Many people see the ability to have 'their own'babies as centrally important to their l... more Many people see the ability to have 'their own'babies as centrally important to their life plan. Human societies socialize their members to see having genetically related children as a signal of their status as adults, as proof of masculinity or femininity, and, of course, as a ...
Reproductive autonomy is central to women's welfare both because childbearing takes place... more Reproductive autonomy is central to women's welfare both because childbearing takes place in women's bodies and because they are generally expected to take primary responsibility for child rearing. In 2005, the factors that influence their autonomy most strongly are poverty and belief systems that devalue such autonomy. Unfortunately, such autonomy is a low priority for most societies, or is anathema to their belief systems altogether. This situation is doubly sad because women's reproductive autonomy is intrinsically valuable for women and also instrumentally valuable for the welfare of humankind. This paper takes for granted the moral and practical necessity of such autonomy and digs deeper into the question of what such a commitment might entail, focusing on the mid-level policy making that, at least in the US and Canada, plays a significant role in shaping women's options. This paper examines a large teaching hospital's policy on reduction of multifetal pregnancies. The policy permits reduction of triplets to twins, but not twins to a singleton. As there is no morally relevant difference between these two types of reduction, it is evident that inappropriate medicalisation can still limit women's autonomy in undesirable ways.
International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 2008
Abstract The Religious Right is using every means to impose its restrictive view of sexual and re... more Abstract The Religious Right is using every means to impose its restrictive view of sexual and reproductive rights on everyone under the umbrella of a so-called culture of life (CL). The CL prohibits the direct killing of innocents (but not, apparently, letting them die), and requires ...
International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 2005
ABSTRACT: This paper argues that bioethics needs to focus more centrally on political and social ... more ABSTRACT: This paper argues that bioethics needs to focus more centrally on political and social prac-tices that contribute to death, disease, or disability. A broader vision would help bioethicists show why attacking the root causes of premature death and physical suffering should ...
Page 1. 178 17 Assisted Reproduction, Prenatal Testing, and Sex Selection LAURA M. PURDY Use of a... more Page 1. 178 17 Assisted Reproduction, Prenatal Testing, and Sex Selection LAURA M. PURDY Use of assisted reproduction (AR) has exploded in the 30 plus years since the birth of Louise Brown, the first baby born via in vitro fertilization (IVF) (Soini et al. 2006). ...
The Baby in the Body Journal article by Norman Fost, Laura M. Purdy; The Hastings Center Report, ... more The Baby in the Body Journal article by Norman Fost, Laura M. Purdy; The Hastings Center Report, Vol. 24, 1994. Read The Baby in the Body at Questia library.
Feminist criticism of health care and of bioethics has become increasingly rich and sophisticated... more Feminist criticism of health care and of bioethics has become increasingly rich and sophisticated in the last years of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, this body of work remains quite marginalized. I believe that there are (at least) two reasons for this. First, many people are still confused about feminism. Second, many people are unconvinced that significant sexism still exists and are therefore unreceptive to arguments that it should be remedied if there is no larger benefit. In this essay I argue for a thin, "core" conception of feminism that is easy to understand and difficult to reject. Core feminism would render debate within feminism more fruitful, clear the way for appropriate recognition of differences among women and their circumstances, provide intellectually compelling reasons for current non-feminists to adopt a feminist outlook, and facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation between feminism and other progressive social movements. This conception of femin...
Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, 2000
Proponents of xenotransplantation hope that it will provide organs to fill the gap between the de... more Proponents of xenotransplantation hope that it will provide organs to fill the gap between the demand for and supply of organs for transplant. The scientific obstacles to transplanting animal organs into humans are daunting, as are the moral, political, and policy issues. Among them are concerns about animal rights and welfare, patient acceptance and informed consent, and broader public health issues, such as the cost-efficient deployment of scarce resources and the risk of disease in third parties. The latter is, in my view, the most immediately urgent issue. Pigs, the current animal of choice, carry many bacterial and viral pathogens, and it is currently impossible to assess the risk of disease to human populations. Because of this risk, a moratorium on xenotransplantation is necessary to protect public health; it is also questionable whether the technology, if successful, would be the most cost-effective way to promote health.
Two articles in the April 1976 issue -George M. Brockway's "The Physi-cian&... more Two articles in the April 1976 issue -George M. Brockway's "The Physi-cian's Appeal to Firsthand Experience," and Peter Steinfels' "Against Bioethicists" -comment on the emergence of a new professional: the medical ethicist. A quote from Ben Shahn on artists and aestheticians ...
Many people see the ability to have 'their own'babies as centrally important to their l... more Many people see the ability to have 'their own'babies as centrally important to their life plan. Human societies socialize their members to see having genetically related children as a signal of their status as adults, as proof of masculinity or femininity, and, of course, as a ...
This entry is to direct attention to Anne Donchin's unpublished manuscript, edited by Laura Purdy... more This entry is to direct attention to Anne Donchin's unpublished manuscript, edited by Laura Purdy, and available on Scholarworks, a website offered by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The manuscript focuses on assisted reproduction.
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