The New Colonialism: Exploiting the Poor for Their Body Parts

This article out of Korea about the charlatan, Hwang Wu-suk, is a prophetic warning about what the future may hold. He plans to continue to research human cloning, but not in South Korea. Hwang, who unethically obtained eggs for his earlier failed research, has stated he can’t do his work in his own country because women are too protected (my take) from exploitation:

“Hwang believes that it is difficult to continue stem cell research in South Korea because it is hard to obtain ova,” the government official said. “He is considering participating in an international consortium so he can continue his research abroad where conditions are more favorable to cloning researchers than here.”

But here is the real kicker: Hwang will be working with a U.S. company, meaning that if this goes as planned, it would be a case of what my friend William Hurlbut calls “outsourcing ethics.” If ethical rules protect the vulnerable in biotechnological or other medical research, why, just go to places—usually in undeveloped countries—where the law is more, shall we say, malleable:

It also said that Hwang will clone embryonic cells by transferring cell nuclei, and U.S. researchers will then develop them to fully-grown stem cells. Stem cells have the potential to transform into various types of human body cells, meaning they can be utilized as a “repair kit” for diseases.

The joint research of Hwang and the U.S. firm will mostly be conducted in a country other than South Korea or the United States since it is difficult to obtain ova in both countries, the paper said.Outsourcing ethics or the new colonialism: Anyway you put it, it is spelled e.x.p.l.o.i.t.a.t.i.o.n.