Cristian Dave Cabungcag GEC107 - 18O

Raffaele Fortaleza Gerry F. Arambala

Jason Gellor

ARTICLE REVIEW

I. Arambala, Gerry. (2020). “Genetic engineering and social justice: A reflection on

Amartya Sen’s capability approach.” Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 7(4), pp. 1-
15. DOI: 10.1177/2057891120907683

II. Main topic

The author of the article talks about the connection between genetic engineering
and social justice. It shows how genetic development influenced people with certain
capabilities over the past years. Genetic engineering by biomedical researchers has made
great progress in finding the treatment for many diseases which have been considered in
the past as incurable. People who can afford it are assured safe from certain diseases by
the promise of genetic engineering. However, with the involvement of riches, global
inequality, poverty, and human capability, the imbalance of assurance is observable. The
article resolves this problem by social justice.

The article also delved into the development of genetic therapy and health care services,
especially the development and production of drugs for curing chronic diseases, and how
it is important as it prevents millions of deaths. Poverty and global inequality, how
“people should be the center of all development” (United Nations Development
Programme [UNDP], 1990). Capabilities and social justice. With that, the article explains
solutions to this major problem, in line with those organizations who have successfully
achieved the author's vision in a particular scenario, in which the author wanted to show
value.
III. Objectives
The way we understand it, objectives that are implied are to emphasize that
although the great majority of the global population is thriving, the minority which
consists of the poorest of the poor are often forgotten or intentionally ignored. While
healthcare has drastically improved in terms of capabilities throughout the years,
availability to the least fortunate has often been the last priority of biomedical
researchers. This issue needed to be promulgated in order to achieve the next objective
which is to change the way that we handle developmental conceptions and healthcare
through policies.

IV. Questions
In the article, the author presented questions on how genetic engineering and
social justice relate to each other, particularly on how the advancement in the treatment
of diseases affects the social justice of certain developing countries. The author also
questioned why treatments are priced high if one of the goals is to help everyone. In
addition, should systems by genetic engineering such as advanced health care services be
affordable to all and should form part of individual freedoms that the national policies of
a country must secure?

V. Data
We believe that the author is heavily inspired by the works of Nobel Prize winner
Amartya Sen. Sen’s works revolve around the freedom to achieve well-being or as how
he and Sen describe it, the “capability approach” and how important it is to prioritize it.
This is what the author primarily utilized in writing this article. The author also read other
articles that cover Sen’s works and similar topics revolving around poverty, expensive
healthcare, and the absence of freedom to achieve well-being in order to get different
perspectives on the matter.

Aside from Sen’s works, the author also gathered data from organizations like the World
Health Organization and programs like the United Nations Development Programme to
provide accurate statistics and facts to back-up his claims in his article.
VI. Data Processing
The author started his discussion by pointing out the inequality suffered by the
poorest of the poor in terms of healthcare even though the world is developing rapidly.
Even though the data shows that poverty is slowly disappearing, it is not that prevalent in
the poorest of the poor regions especially in sub Saharan and Eastern Asia. Most of the
people there still lived in poverty. The author then states that even though development
is ongoing based on data such as GNP/GDP, there are other factors that contribute to the
development.
One major idea that the author presented is the capability approach that states that
true development is the notion of living a life of freedom. A life where you can live the
life you've envisioned. That is what the author's approach on development; following
Amartya Sen's capability approach. The author then states that one should have the right
to modern medicine and that no one should die just because they're poor with diseases
that are curable with today's medicine.
The author also stated that he didn't want to deny rich people access to healthcare
but he said that the poor should also have the opportunity, the right to these healthcare
medicines and facilities. The author also added that in order for these poor regions to
properly develop and have healthcare open to all and for all, these region's government
leaders should also be capable of leading the nation in the right direction. The author
even stated that for a region to prosper and develop, the people must at least be educated
enough to know their country's situation and to have a true democratic society. Having a
true democratic society and a competent leader will lead to a proper development in
which healthcare is to all and for all.

VII. Conclusion
Global poverty and inequality result in the poorest of the poor suffering the most,
inequality following economic aspects in which they could not afford to have a taste of
the genetic development that guarantees life expectancy and longevity with the rise of
potent drugs produced by large pharmaceutical companies. Because of these, it has
brought millions of deaths, knowing that their capabilities and development are never
close to ever enough. The author suggests that we should not turn our backs on the
deprivations the poorest of the poor are suffering. He states that one of the reasons for
this phenomenon is welfare economics, making pharmaceutical organizations/industries
see an opportunity to be quite selfish and monetize their medicines. Instead, we should
look at these as the extent of individual freedom development. Everyone, including the
poorest of the poor, should have the capacity and ability to choose to have a life that is in
their favor by employing forming global policies that keep every person from suffering
from the lack of freedom and health.