Spring 2008 Issue

Amongst vulnerable populations, sex workers have become defined by much of formal society as one of the most destitute and ignored socio-economic groups. Their careers, by default, convey notions of criminality and disease. The widespread dissemination of AIDS, variants of Multiple Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDRTB) and venereal disorders serve to propel such preconceived, damaging beliefs and hinder the human rights and civil liberties of a population that is caught in a vicious, frequently lethal cycle of penury and abuse. In a vulnerable group that is derided by nearly all formal and many informal institutions, the extraordinary level of interconnectivity that pervades the lives and world of sex workers is often ignored. Subsequently, assistance can encompass a variety of situations and projects. Research work and aid is certainly achievable in such a field that has been deemed unmentionable in many societies. Within this context however, most anthropological research and societal support related to sex workers come from private organizations; non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) have taken primary responsibility for many aspects of sex work assistance.

This paper addresses the rising trend of surrogacy and the use of women as human incubators (both as full and gestational surrogates), employed by couples that experience infertility. Surrogacy is one of the common approaches now adopted by infertile parties as a method of producing a child. As of yet, the United States federal government has remained silent on the matter of surrogate contracts, leaving the decision in the hands of each state government. One issue to be examined is the commercialization and commodification of women as surrogates are entering into contracts and receiving payments. Some even liken this commodification of human life to a return to slavery. Other critics point to the exploitation and degradation of women assuming the role of surrogates, calling them “breeder-woman.” There is a worry that women’s bodies are being exploited for their reproductive capacities. Opponents claim that surrogacy seekers are inappropriately targeting women from minority races and lower-income demographics. Supporters of surrogacy contracts argue that providing a financial incentive simply encourages women to become surrogates and ultimately gives the gift of life to desperate parents and should therefore trump any other concern. While this approach is not entirely satisfactory, the author suggests, with the aid of human testimonies and via analogies, that surrogacy be viewed through the lens of providing a service, a laudatory one indeed. Invoking our right to procreate and our right to contract, the author demonstrates how surrogacy contracts seem to escape all of the commonly attributed moral and ethical concerns. Along the lines of treating surrogacy as a pure contractual service, the author further argues for the surrogate woman’s right woman to demand a different price depending on whether gestational or full surrogacy is chosen.

This article serves as a philosophical review of Thomas Pogge’s model, the Full Plan for the Provision of Pharmaceuticals (FP1) for the global distribution of patented treatments and medicines to the neediest individuals in underserved populations – people who rarely have means for essential treatments. Founded upon the notion of a necessary global right to healthcare, Pogge presents a method that would run in parallel to the capitalist method of drug distribution, in which corporations are rewarded based on how far their respective treatment reaches in the dilapidated world – the Patent-2. The paper rests on the notion that solving the problem of communicable disease will be a concerted, global effort, and that nations involved in such a program will be willing to contribute a miniscule fraction of their GDP to solving the crisis of such preventable illnesses.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) entail various ethical ambiguities and complications, and politicians have been wary of taking strong stances on these issues. Public policy regulations have therefore been muddled and inconsistent. As the number of people utilizing ART continues to grow, the need for a cohesive ideology to direct public policy legislation and judicial proceedings becomes increasingly clear. In this paper, we will discuss two prevalent issues in the debate over ART: first, ownership and parenthood, and second, distributive justice. We will address the specific forms of ART that are relevant to these overarching issues and suggest how public policy ought to respond to them. We will ultimately argue that all public policy relating to ART should be guided by the goal of maximizing the autonomy of the individual with regard to his or her reproduction.