Author : Neil Gerlach
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
ISBN 13 : 0802096832
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (2 download)
Book Synopsis Becoming Biosubjects by : Neil Gerlach
Download or read book Becoming Biosubjects written by Neil Gerlach and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Becoming Biosubjects examines the ways in which the Canadian government, media, courts, and everyday Canadians are making sense of the challenges being posed by biotechnologies. The authors argue that the human body is now being understood as something that is fluid and without fixed meaning. This has significant implications both for how we understand ourselves and how we see our relationships with other forms of life. Focusing on four major issues, the authors examine the ways in which genetic technologies are shaping criminal justice practices, how policies on reproductive technologies have shifted in response to biotechnologies, the debates surrounding the patenting of higher life forms, and the Canadian (and global) response to bioterrorism. Regulatory strategies in government and the courts are continually evolving and are affected by changing public perceptions of scientific knowledge. The legal and cultural shifts outlined in Becoming Biosubjects call into question what it means to be a Canadian, a citizen, and a human being.