Beyond Bioethics - by Osagie K Obasogie & Marcy Darnovsky (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For several decades, the field of bioethics has played a dominant role in shaping the way society thinks about ethical problems related to developments in science, technology, and medicine. But its traditional emphases on, for example, doctor-patient relationships, informed consent, and individual autonomy have led the field to not be fully responsive to the challenges posed by new human biotechnologies such as assisted reproduction, human genetic enhancement, and DNA forensics. Beyond Bioethics provides a focused overview for students and others grappling with the profound social dilemmas posed by these developments. It brings together the work of cutting-edge thinkers from diverse fields of study and public engagement, all of them committed to a new perspective that is grounded in social justice and public interest values. The contributors to this volume seek to define an emerging field of scholarly, policy, and public concern: a new biopolitics."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

For decades, the field of bioethics has shaped the way we think about ethical problems in science, technology, and medicine. But its traditional emphasis on individual interests such as doctor-patient relationships, informed consent, and personal autonomy is minimally helpful in confronting the social and political challenges posed by new human biotechnologies such as assisted reproduction, human genetic modification, and DNA forensics. Beyond Bioethics addresses these provocative issues from an emerging standpoint that is attentive to race, gender, class, disability, privacy, and notions of democracy--a "new biopolitics."

This authoritative volume provides an overview for those grappling with the profound dilemmas posed by these developments. It brings together the work of cutting-edge thinkers from diverse fields of study and public engagement, all of them committed to this new perspective grounded in social justice and public interest values.

From the Back Cover

"Beyond Bioethics is a timely and important book that offers insightful and innovative ways to think about equality and representation in the field, while highlighting the attendant ethical obligations of scientists, clinicians, researchers, and scholars. This is essential reading!"--Kimani Paul-Emile, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director, Center on Race, Law, and Justice, Fordham University School of Law

"Vividly capturing the technical and existential dimensions of the new biopolitics, this brilliantly edited volume is essential reading in the classroom, the boardroom, and even the courtroom. The editors pull together carefully curated historical, legal, scientific, and feminist scholarship to craft a cogent critique of the 'thin vision' of contemporary bioethics. They call for a new biopolitics that frames ethical questions in terms of social and political forces, values, and time. Collected essays illuminate with particular force how medical genetics, ancestry testing, genomics, and other enterprises oriented around DNA keep alive destructive ideas about biological race and positive eugenics. The book is a first effort to construct a coherent progressive vision for a new kind of bioethics, and it is a compelling contribution to debates that grow more important every week."--M. Susan Lindee, Janice and Julian Bers Professor of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania

"This book is a wonderful resource of diverse, insightful essays. It is particularly timely in the age of CRISPR and expanding direct-to-consumer genetic technologies as they intersect with assisted reproduction."--Paul S. Knoepfler, Professor of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine

"Beyond Bioethics canvasses critical milestones in law, society, and biotechnology to share nuanced insights about class, politics, property, race, and ethics in how the human body is constructed, commodified, and theorized. It should be on the shelves of every scholar engaging in biotechnology, bioethics, and the law."--Michele Goodwin, Chancellor's Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine and author of Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts

Review Quotes

"As an argument for a particular focus in bioethics, with each chapter serving as a case providing an example of this focus, Beyond Bioethics is convincing. . . . covers a lot of theoretical ground, and is clear and enjoyable to read without sacrificing intelligence. It will certainly spark both scholarly discussion and student interest."-- "Quarterly Review of Biology"

"A useful contribution. Gives both a name and a direction to a more socially conscious ethical and political framework to the controversial issues posed by developments in genomics."-- "Metapsychology Online Reviews" (9/4/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"With the rapid development of new biotechnologies like CRISPR, Beyond Bioethics makes a timely call for a novel take on bioethics capable of addressing the significant sociopolitical implications of these technologies. . . . Bridging together thinkers across the humanities and sciences divide, Beyond Bioethics models a progressive, interdisciplinary approach to bioethics that extends beyond a focus on the individual toward a 'new biopolitics' of the global, the collective."-- "Somatosphere" (9/13/2018 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Osagie K. Obasogie is Haas Distinguished Chair and Professor of Bioethics in the Joint Medical Program and School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.

Marcy Darnovsky is Executive Director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest organization focused on human biotechnologies.