Disability, Development and the Biotechnologies
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Dialogue
Disability, Development and the Biotechnologies
RACHEL HURST
ABSTRACT Rachel Hurst argues that disabled people should have the same rights as other humans, and questions moves to select and manipulate genetically in order to create ‘perfect’ beings. She underlines that disabled people contribute difference and genetic diversity, which are necessary for continued human development. KEYWORDS eugenics; ethics; perfection; difference; diversity
Disability and development The 24th Special Session of the UN World Summit for Social Development and beyond (1 July 2000) stated: The ultimate goals of development are to improve living conditions for people and to empower them to participate fully in the economic, political and social arenas. This development must be achieved for all people, without discrimination
It can also be argued that these goals should be shared by the biotechnologies that are promising to transform our societies ^ transform our ideas of development and of the nature of our very being through genetic selection and manipulation. As has been repeatedly documented, access to full and equal participation in their societies has been denied disabled people in all countries, putting them among the poorest of the poor. In addition, their need for income is greater than that of non-disabled people since they need money and assistance to try to live normal lives (Sen, 2004). Similarly, lack of development and economic growth creates disabled people through malnutrition, poor sanitation, lack of immunization, poverty, poor health and safety provisions and pollution. To address the problem of poverty many multilateral and bi-lateral agencies have, since the 1990s, adopted a human rights approach to development. This approach seeks to ensure that each person is seen as having an equal right to freedom, dignity, non-discrimination and protection from the state against abuse of these rights together with access to economic, cultural and social rights. The human rights approach celebrates difference ^ it does not isolate, invalidate or abuse difference.
Disability and difference The reality is that, since the beginning of time, disabled people have been seen as different from other human beings. Legislative and social responses to disabled people’s needs Development (2006) 49(4), 101–106. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100320
Development 49(4): Dialogue and rights have separated or isolated them from their communities. In some places and centuries, disabled people have been seen as quasi-gods, in others disability has been seen ^ and is still seen ^ as the embodiment of sin. Disabled children have been left to die on Spartan hillsides or at the gates of cities and temples. (Fletcher, 1995). In 1883 Francis Galton proposed his theory of eugenics (derived from the Greek meaning ‘good in birth’) to improve the human stock of the nation. Although his theory was based on improving good genes rather than eliminating ‘bad’ones, his ideas were taken up enthusiastically as a basis for elimination. The Eugenics
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