Modern medicine is often trumpeted as one of the greatest examples of technological progress. But technocratic medicine also has a very dark side.
- Side effects of drugs are in the top ten causes of premature deaths
- Continuing historic eugenic tendencies under the rubric of reproductive choice, pre-natal testing prevents the birth of thousands of disabled people
- The medicalisation of mental distress serves the financial interest of drug companies but often fails to address the real problems of highly vulnerable people.
Meanwhile, as the NHS suffers increasing privatisation, the government wants to sell our electronic medical records to the pharmaceutical industry. this event will explore how genomics and other high-tec medical trends are detracting from public health approaches and basic human-centered treatment.
Introductions from;
- Micheline Mason, a writer and leading advocate of inclusive education will discuss the rights of disabled people and the history of eugenics
- Redmond O’Hanlon from the Critical Psychiatry Network will look at the problems of drug-based psychiatry and how this serves the interests of the pharmaceutical industry
- Fleur Fisher former head of Medical Ethics at the BMA will speak about the campaign against government plans to allow drug companies access to the NHS medical records database
