The idea of vulnerability -- Growing interest in vulnerability -- Vulnerability in the context of health care and bioethics -- The bioethical discourse of vulnerability -- We are all vulnerable : philosophical perspectives on vulnerability -- Some of us are more vulnerable : political perspectives on vulnerability -- Vulnerability is everywhere : globalization and vulnerability -- Theoretical implications of vulnerability -- Practical applications of vulnerability.
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Alongside globalization, the sense of vulnerability among people and populations has increased. We feel vulnerable to disease as new infections spread rapidly across the globe, while disasters and climate change make health increasingly precarious. Moreover, clinical trials of new drugs often exploit vulnerable populations in developing countries that otherwise have no access to health care and new genetic technologies make people with disabilities vulnerable to discrimination. Therefore the concept of 'vulnerability' has contributed new ideas to the debates about the ethical dimensions of medicine and health care. This book explains and elaborates the new concept of vulnerability in today's bioethics.