16 R.M. Shaw
fragments and reproductive services does not create affective ties, rela-
tions of care‚ or solidarity‚ but magnifies already existing inequalities. For
this reason, Waldby ( 2002 : 319) contends that complex tissue networks
cannot ‘be addressed simply through the reassertion of the categories and
morality of a humanist bioethics’—a contention taken seriously by the
contributors to this volume.
The Chapters in this Volume
The problematic of the gift and sacrifice‚ as well as questions of econ-
omy‚ are at the heart of Bioethics Beyond Altruism. In the essays in this
collection‚ tissue economies are regarded in some respects as both affec-
tive and moral economies‚ involving not only the provision and transac-
tion of human biological materials but also the legitimation of desirable
social relations‚ emotional ties and attachments. While some authors
discuss these economies separately in their respective chapters, they each
examine the applicability of altruism as the pre-eminent value under-
girding tissue donation and provision in the present period.
Part I: Stem Cells
In the first section of Bioethics Beyond Altruism, three essays examine
the highly experimental sector of the global bio-knowledge economy
involving regenerative medicine and stem cell research. From the mid-
twentieth century onwards, the development, production and sale of
stem cell lines and tissue for medical and research use ushered in a new
promissory period of cell therapies and technologies for organ and tis-
sue replacement and regeneration, such as the treatment of damaged
brain tissue, cardiovascular disease and cell deficiency. The development
of stem cell treatments and clinical trials, ardently debated both in the
public domain and in academic texts, is tied to discussion about the
moral status of the embryo and foetus as social objects and entities.
The search for viable sources of human embryonic stem cells (hESC)
and adult stem cells raises a host of ethical and political concerns
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