Abstract
Feminist criticism of health care and ofbioethics has become increasingly rich andsophisticated in the last years of thetwentieth century. Nonetheless, this body ofwork remains quite marginalized. I believe thatthere are (at least) two reasons for this.First, many people are still confused aboutfeminism. Second, many people are unconvincedthat significant sexism still exists and aretherefore unreceptive to arguments that itshould be remedied if there is no largerbenefit. In this essay I argue for a thin,``core'' conception of feminism that is easy tounderstand and difficult to reject. Corefeminism would render debate within feminismmore fruitful, clear the way for appropriaterecognition of differences among women andtheir circumstances, provide intellectuallycompelling reasons for current non-feminists toadopt a feminist outlook, and facilitatemutually beneficial cooperation betweenfeminism and other progressive socialmovements. This conception of feminism alsomakes it clear that feminism is part of alarger egalitarian moral and political agenda,and adopting it would help bioethics focus onthe most urgent moral priorities. In addition,integrating core feminism into bioethics wouldopen a gateway to the more speculative parts offeminist work where a wealth of creativethinking is occurring. Engaging with thisfeminist work would challenge and strengthenmainstream approaches; it should also motivatemainstream bioethicists to explore othercurrently marginalized parts of bioethics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agonito, R. (1977) A History of Ideas on Women: A Source Book. New York: Putnam.
Birke, L. (1986) Women, Feminism and Biology: The Feminist Challenge. New York: Methuen.
Bleier, R. (1984) Science and Gender: A Critique of Biology and its Theories on Women. Elmsford, New York: Pergamon.
Clarke, E.H. (1873) Sex in Education, or, A Fair Chance for the Girls. Boston: J.R. Osgood.
Code, L. (1986) Simple Equality is Not Enough. Australasian Journal of Philosophy Suppl. 64, 48-65.
Dickstein, L. (1996) Overview of Women Physicians in the United States. In: D. Wear (Ed.), Women in Medical Education: An Anthology of Experience. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Fausto-Sterling, A. (1988) Myths of Gender: Biological Theories about Women and Men. New York: Basic Books.
Frye, M. (1983) The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Trumansburg, NY: The Crossing Press.
Fugh-Berman, A. (1992) Tales Out of Medical School. The Nation (January 20) 25(2), 1, 54-56.
Harding, S. (1987) The Curious Coincidence of Feminine and African Moralities. In: E.F. Kittay and D. Meyers (Eds.), Women and Moral Theory. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield.
Holmes, H.B. (1999) Closing the Gaps: An Imperative for Feminist Ethics. In: A. Donchin and L.M. Purdy (Eds.), Embodying Bioethics: Recent Feminist Advances. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Holmes, H.B. and Purdy, L.M. (1992) Feminist Perspectives in Medical Ethics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Hubbard, R., Henifin, M.S. and Fried, B. (Eds.) (1982) Biological Women — The Convenient Myth. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman.
Jaggar, A.M. (1987) Sex Inequality and Bias in Sex Differences Research. In: M. Hanen and K. Nielsen (Eds.), Science, Morality and Feminist Theory. Canadian Journal of Philosophy. 13,suppl.
Ketchum, S.A. (1992) Selling Babies and Selling Bodies. In: Holmes and Purdy (Eds.), Feminist Perspectives in Medical Ethics.
Little, Margaret Olivia (1996) Why a Feminist Approach to Bioethics? Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 6(1), 1-18.
Maccoby, E. (1998) The Two Sexes: Growing Up Apart, Coming Together. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mahowald, M.B. (1977) Philosophy of Woman: Classical to Current Concepts. Indianapolis: Hackett.
Mahowald, M.B. (1993) Women and Children in Health Care: An Unequal Majority. New York: Oxford University Press.
Michaels, M. and L. Morgan (Eds.) (1999) The Fetal Imperative: Feminist Positions. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Miles, S. (1997) The Role of Bioethics and Access to US Health Care: Is Bioethics One of Kitty Genovese's Neighbors? In Bioethics Examiner 1(2), 1-2.
Mill, J.S. (1869) The Subjection of Women. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
Miller-Bernal, L. (2000), Separate By Degree: Women Students' Experience in Single-Sex and Coeducational Colleges. New York: Peter Lang.
Murray, T.H. (2000) Has Bioethics Lost its Innocence? Is That a Bad Thing? ASBH Exchange (Spring).
Nechas, E. and Foley, D. (1994) Unequal Treatment. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Okin, S.M. (1985) Justice, Gender, and the Family. New York: Basic Books.
Okin, S.M. (1979) Women in Western Political Thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Overall, C. (1987) Ethics and Human Reproduction: A Feminist Analysis. Boston: Allen & Unwin.
Overall, C. (1993) Human Reproduction: A Feminist Analysis. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Purdy, L.M. (1996a) Good Bioethics Must Be Feminist Bioethics. In W. Sumner and J. Boyle (Eds.), Philosophical Perspectives in Bioethics. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Purdy, L.M. (1996b) Abortion and the Argument from Convenience. In: Reproducing Persons.
Purdy, L.M. (1996c) Abortion, Forced Labor, and War. In: Purdy, Reproducing Persons.
Purdy, L.M. (1996d) Reproducing Persons: Issues in Feminist Bioethics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Radin, M.J. (1987) Market-Inalienability. Harvard Law Review 100, 1849-1937.
Rhode, D. (1989) Justice and Gender. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Rhode, D. (1997) Speaking of Sex: The Denial of Gender Inequality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Rhode, D. (Ed.) (1994) Theoretical Perspectives on Sexual Difference. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Roberts, D. (1996) Race and the New Reproduction. Hastings Law Journal 47, 25-39.
Robertson, J.A. (1994) Children of Choice: Freedom and the New Reproductive Technologies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Rosser, S.V. (1994) Women's Health — Missing from U.S. Medicine. Bloomington: Indiana Press.
Sadker, M. and Sadker, D. (1994) Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sherwin, S. (1992a) Feminist and Medical Ethics: Two Different Approaches to Contextual Ethics, In: Holmes and Purdy (Eds.), Feminist Perspectives in Medical Ethics.
Sherwin, S. (1992b) No Longer Patient: Feminist Ethics and Health Care. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Sherwin, S. et al. (1998) The Politics of Women's Health: Exploring Agency and Autonomy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Silverstein, K. (1999) Millions for Viagra, Pennies for the Diseases of the Poor. The Nation (July 19), 13-16.
Snitow, A. (1990) A Gender Diary. In: M. Hirsch and E. Fox Keller (Eds.), Conflicts in Feminism. New York: Routledge.
Tuana, N. (1993) The Less Noble Sex: Scientific, Religious, and Philosophical Conceptions of Woman's Nature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Valian, V. (1998) Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Warren, V.L. (2001) From Autonomy to Empowerment: Health Care Ethics from a Feminist Perspective. In: W. Teays and L.M. Purdy (Eds.), Bioethics, Justice, & Health Care, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Purdy, L.M. What Feminism Can Do for Bioethics. Health Care Analysis 9, 117–132 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011313800137
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011313800137