Who Owns Your Body? Patricia Piccinini and the Future of Bioethics

Abstract

This article analyses some popular cultural representations of biotechnology, especially the artistic work of the Australian artist Patricia Piccinini to reflect on the role of law, technology and ethics in relation to bodily material. Her view that "with creation … comes an obligation to care for the result", so evident in her poignant pictures, is a sober reminder to us of our responsibilities in regulating new technologies.

Keywords: Patricia Piccinini, culture, biotechnology, regulation, human body, art, law, science, bioethics