Feminism: Guest contribution to the women’s strike

Switzerland has made progress in equality. But for example, important research is still based on the exploitation of women. That is why feminist criticism is still necessary.

If I write about topics such as feminism, racism or other forms of discrimination, the same reaction comes reliably: are there no other problems?

Of course there are other problems. This is exactly what makes the world so complicated. All possible problems exist at the same time. They overlap and depend. They form the present and future. Especially when it comes to science and innovation, discrimination and oppression remain present.

An example comes from the history of cancer research. Today it is standard to work with so -called immortalized cells in the laboratory. For a long time, however, it was impossible to keep or even multiply cells outside of an organism. It was not until 1951 for the first time. It was a milestone for research – and at the same time a symbol of racist exploitation.

Exploitation in the name of research

The first cells that survived in the laboratory belonged to the American Henrietta Lacks. At that time she was 31 years old and suffered from an aggressive form of cervical cancer. She was treated in the Johns Hopkins Hospital for Blacks in Baltimore. There a doctor took the cells without her knowledge and consent.

In a laboratory, the cells were increased and made immortal. Even today, the cell stem with the name Hela cells is used worldwide in research. Numerous drugs and therapies were developed on the basis of their base. Pharmaceutical companies earned billions. Henrietta Lacks, on the other hand, died a few months after the diagnosis. Her descendants only learned late from her mother’s fate and grandmother – and still live in financially modest conditions.

« Before the anti-Babopille came onto the market in the United States, it was tested in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. »

Parallels can also be found in the history of hormonal contraception. Before the anti-Babopille came onto the market in the USA, it was tested in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. The subjects came from underprivileged quarters. The treating doctors do not clarify them about risks and side effects. Without their knowledge and consent, women were suspended. Because the hormones were highly dosed, the women suffered from massive side effects. Some of them died of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Both examples show how progress was made at the expense of people with few rights. Black and poverty -affected women were exploited in the name of research.

In the present, oppressive structures also run through every new innovation. In the early days of the Internet, one hoped for the connection and democratization of knowledge and information. Rather, the opposite is the case today.

A few tech companies dominate the digital space. They draw enormous profits from our data and needs. Access – or rather the selection – of information is more difficult than ever. Not only information, but also false information spreads rapidly on the net. Just like racism and hatred of women. Artificial intelligence is also interspersed with racist and sexist patterns.

Innovation is never neutral

In countries such as Great Britain and the USA, for example, AI-supported risk analyzes are used to predict domestic violence. The algorithms are intended to predict which people with a high probability could become victims or perpetrators of domestic violence. In theory, this sounds like efficient police work.