Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book transcends the usual dichotomies dividing the contemporary world into developed/developing economies and technological/nontechnological societies, addressing a broad array of concerns pertinent to projects in feminist bioethics and paving new ground at the intersection of the feminist and human rights movements. It focuses explicitly on the need to reconceptualize mainline bioethical theory to address the intersection of local and global concerns. The book addresses a broad array of reproductive interventions, both old and new, and critically scrutinizes the social contexts in which they have been introduced. It extends the discussion of abortion within the context of social policy in mainland China. The book provides a test case for the kind of egalitarian feminist standpoint Mahowald defends. It presents astonishing data about the spread of HIV/AIDS in mainland China. The book offers feminist analyses of troubling moral quandaries in medical research.