Unconditional hospitality: HIV, ethics and the refugee 'problem'
Article Abstract:
Refugees, as forced migrants, have suffered displacement under conditions not of their own choosing. In 2000 there were thought to be 22 million refugees of whom 6 million were HIV positive. While the New Zealand government has accepted a number of HIV positive refugees from sub-Saharan Africa, this hospitality is under threat due to negative public and political opinion. Epidemic conditions raise the social stakes attached to sexual exchanges, contagion becomes a major figure in social relationships and social production, and the fears of the contagious nature of those 'just off the plane' connect refugees to an equally deep-seated fear of racial miscegenation. Jacques Derrida's notion of unconditional hospitality is a dream of a democracy which would have a cosmopolitan form. This means that one cannot decide in advance which refugees one might choose to resettle. This paper will use Derrida's notion of unconditional hospitality to emphasise the fragility of HIV positive refugees' position, caught between becoming newly made New Zealand subjects while at the same time having that subjecthood threatened. For Derrida, both ethics and politics demand both an action and a need for a thoughtful response (a questioning without limit).
Publication Name: Bioethics
Subject: Philosophy and religion
ISSN: 0269-9702
Year: 2006
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Doctors and nurses once more - an alternative to May
Article Abstract:
The doctor-nurse relationship hinges on a contract of employment, which binds them morally and legally to use their experience and skills to assist each other in the treatment of patients. However, T. May proposes a second-order reason requiring that nurses consider a doctor the locus of rational authority and follow his instructions in emergencies. This theory undermines the equality as employees and requires that nurses accept a doctor based on unsubstantiated qualifications. However, in certain circumstances, such as an innovative procedure, nurses may have to use their judgment to decide whether to trust a doctor.
Publication Name: Journal of Medical Ethics
Subject: Philosophy and religion
ISSN: 0306-6800
Year: 1995
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Tackling the drug problem - what can doctors do?
Article Abstract:
Drugs have been implicated in many cases of violence and other societal problems due to addiction. Politics has not played its role in effectively curbing drug addicts by mandating laws on drug acquisition. Street drugs are readily available to those who want to use them and the escalating prices of synthetic drugs have led to the creation and utilization of toxic substitutes. Doctors possess a power to curb drug addiction by regulating the utilization of toxic and addictive drugs. However, very few doctors are determined to limit their prescription of forbidden drugs.
Publication Name: Journal of Medical Ethics
Subject: Philosophy and religion
ISSN: 0306-6800
Year: 1996
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