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Body Shopping offers an unflinching examination of the new economy that has sprung up to take advantage of your body. Our tissues, genes, and organs are becoming, in the words of the head of one pharmaceutical company, ‘the currency of the future’. From the trafficking of women for their eggs to ‘beauty junkies’, Donna Dickenson reveals the myriad and often ingenious ways that body parts are converted into profits. Drawing on over 20 years of insider knowledge, Dickenson examines the evolving legal position, the historical long view, and the latest biomedical research to provide an unprecedented, sweeping approach that goes beyond the horror stories to suggest a range of new strategies to bring the global biotechnology industry to heel. Despite what the media – or even your doctor – might say, the current biotechnological gold rush is not inevitable and can be resisted. This gripping, powerful book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the ownership and the commercial use (and abuse) of our bodies and those of our loved ones. The fight isn’t over yet. Indeed, it’s hardly begun. Donna Dickenson is Professor Emerita of Medical Ethics and Humanities at the University of London and recipient of the 2006 International Spinoza Lens award.
