The dark side of body part trading operates in a dynamic fashion, full of mystery, intrigue, and ambition. On the one hand, black and gray markets are illegal, but also pioneering and inventive; and although this type of criminal activity requires a level of dexterity and innovation, the point should not be lost that these markets thrive and flourish, sometimes in view of law. On the other hand, altruistic body part procurement is mired by low participation, which encourages black market transactions. Thousands of sick patients die each year without the hope of receiving an organ or bone marrow donation through the altruistic procurement system, so they turn to the dark side. This book offers a frank conversation about altruism in the global body market. It exposes how researchers exploit their patients' ignorance to harvest tissue samples, blood, and other biologics without consent for research and patent development. The book chronicles exploitation in the name of altruism, including the nonconsensual use of children in dangerous clinical trials, and analyzes social and legal commitments to the value of altruism - offering an important critique of the vulnerability of altruism to corruption, coercion, pressure, and other negative externalities.
Author: Michele Goodwin Publisher: Cambridge University Press Published: 01/01/2015 Pages: 240 Binding Type: Paperback Weight: 0.72lbs Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.51d ISBN: 9781107478367
About the Author Goodwin, Michele: - Michele Goodwin is the Everett Fraser Professor in Law at the University of Minnesota. She holds joint appointments at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Prior to teaching law, Goodwin was a Gilder-Lehrman postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. She serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Law and Social Inquiry and the Harvard/Stanford/Duke Journal of Law and the Biosciences. She is the author or editor of four books and more than sixty articles and book chapters. Her editorials and commentaries have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Forbes, Gene Watch, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Sun Times and the Washington Post. She is a columnist for 'The Conversation' at the Chronicle of Higher Education.