In the wake of the Indian surrogate mother “gestational carrier’s” death and all the organ buying, and conducting unethical medical experiments on the world’s destitute, I took to the pages of the NRO to warn that “Biological Colonialism Kills:” From my conclusion:
Some might respond that these actual and potential examples of biological colonialism are not such a big deal — just the marketplace at work. But the donor’s consent surely isn’t the be-all and end-all, especially when the parties to these transactions have such disproportionate bargaining power. Besides, we could make the same argument about voluntarily entering into indentured servitude or selling oneself to a sex trafficker. Societies have a right — a duty — to outlaw even voluntary transactions that exploit the bodies of vulnerable human beings.
Laws aside: Renting the gestational capacities of destitute women and buying organs from the desperate poor should not be celebrated or condoned. Such practices deserve our scorn.
When we reject human exceptionalism, we exploit and kill those we consider less worthy. In these cases, the rich in the world are treating the poor as their personal herds. It has to stop.
