260033 Feminist and other critical perspectives on bioethics (GradS) (SoSe 2020)

Bioethics deals with ethical questions related to medicine, other healthcare fields, and life sciences. It came about after the serious cases of misconduct by medical practitioners in concentration camps and in the Tuskagee Syphilis Study were revealed. Organ donation, informed consent, and cloning are examples of questions discussed in bioethics. Since the second half of the last century, feminist and other critical voices have questioned the direction and focus of mainstream bioethics. Critics argue, for instance, that the concerns of marginalized groups are neglected and that the impact of power imbalances in medicine is not adequately addressed. Moreover, it is claimed that analyses of concrete cases show that focus on abstract moral principles is not fruitful. This course will provide an overview of these criticisms.

The course starts with a general introduction to bioethics and feminist bioethics. We will then read texts that either criticize mainstream bioethics or aim at offering alternative perspectives to it. The topics that will be discussed during the course include, for example: autonomy, reproduction, pregnancy and other issues related to parenting, care work (in families and in institutions), public health ethics (for instance, health care inequities), disability, and global health responsibilities.

Bibliography

Dodds, S. (2007). Depending on care: Recognition of vulnerability and the social contribution of care provision. Bioethics, 21(9), 500-510.
Goering, S. (2008). ‘You Say You’re Happy, but…’: Contested Quality of Life Judgments in Bioethics and Disability Studies. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 5(2-3), 125-135.
Ho, A. (2011). Trusting experts and epistemic humility in disability. IJFAB: International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 4(2), 102-123.
Kukla, R. (2005): Mass Hysteria. Medicine, Culture and Mothers’ Bodies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Rogers, W. A. (2006). Feminism and public health ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 32(6), 351-354.
Tong, R. (2009): Long-term Care for the Elderly Worldwide: Whose Responsibility Is It?. International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 2(2): 5–30.