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This book departs from conventional bioethics approaches to consider the different moral and political economies involved in the donation and transformation of human organs, gametes, stem cells and breastmilk. Collectively, the authors draw attention to the different values associated with research and therapy on body part and tissue exchange through an examination of altruism, gift and commodity relations. They expertly discuss issues such as the bioethical conundrums around the circulation and use of human biological materials and services as well as their legal and regulatory limits, the economic benefits and health values attributed to various body parts and products, and the matter of immaterial labour and affective relations between donors, recipients and others involved in tissue provision.
Based on new empirical research, this interdisciplinary collection of original and timely essays will be of interest to students and researchers in gender and cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, science and technology studies, as well as medical professionals with an interest in health and reproduction.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Bioethics Beyond Altruism.- Part I Stem Cells.- Chapter 2: Dead human bodies and embryos: Commonalities and disparities in ethical debate.- Chapter 3: The immortal life of ethics? The alienation of body tissue, ethics and the informed consent procedure within induced pluripotent stem cell research.- Chapter 4: On the everyday ethics of stem cell therapies in India.- Part II Assisted Human Reproduction.- Chapter 5: Towards an understanding of embryo donation in New Zealand: The views of donors and recipients.- Chapter 6: Ethics for Embryologists.- Chapter 7: Beyond Altruism: A Case for Compensated Surrogate Motherhood.- Part III Organ Donation and Transplantation.- Chapter 8: Keeping it in the family: Debating the bio-intimacy of uterine transplants and commercial surrogacy.- Chapter 9: Gift-of-life? The psychosocial experiences of heart, liver and kidney recipients.- Chapter 10: Organ donation practices and end-of-life care: Unusual bedfellows or comfortable companions?.- Chapter 11: Valued Matter: Anthropological insights on the (bio)political economy of organ exchange.- Part IV Breastmilk Exchange.- Chapter 12: Towards social maternity: Where's The Mother? Stories from a Transgender Dad as a case study of human milk sharing.- Chapter 13: Bio-intimate economies of breastmilk exchange: Peer milk sharing and donor breastmilk in the NICU.
About the author
Rhonda M. Shaw is Associate Professor of Sociology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research interests include the sociology of morality and ethics, and empirical research on organ and tissue economies.
Summary
This book departs from conventional bioethics approaches to consider the different moral and political economies involved in the donation and transformation of human organs, gametes, stem cells and breastmilk. Collectively, the authors draw attention to the different values associated with research and therapy on body part and tissue exchange through an examination of altruism, gift and commodity relations. They expertly discuss issues such as the bioethical conundrums around the circulation and use of human biological materials and services as well as their legal and regulatory limits, the economic benefits and health values attributed to various body parts and products, and the matter of immaterial labour and affective relations between donors, recipients and others involved in tissue provision.
Based on new empirical research, this interdisciplinary collection of original and timely essays will be of interest to students and researchers in gender and cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, science and technology studies, as well as medical professionals with an interest in health and reproduction.
Additional text
“This book tackles the topic of altruism with respect to transfers, redistribution, and transformation of biological material such as human bodily fluids, cells, tissues, and genetic material. … This book effectively synthesizes a vast amount of material into one succinct book while offering diverse opinions from varying backgrounds. This target audience is scholars in the fields of medicine and bioethics.” (Allegra Merriweather, Doody's Book Reviews, January, 2018)
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"This book tackles the topic of altruism with respect to transfers, redistribution, and transformation of biological material such as human bodily fluids, cells, tissues, and genetic material. ... This book effectively synthesizes a vast amount of material into one succinct book while offering diverse opinions from varying backgrounds. This target audience is scholars in the fields of medicine and bioethics." (Allegra Merriweather, Doody's Book Reviews, January, 2018)
