Exploring the Gendered Dimensions of Genetic data collection
A prenatal test taken by millions of pregnant women globally was developed by the Chinese gene company BGI, in collaboration with the Chinese military and is being used by the firm to collect genetic data, a Reuters review of publicly available documents found in 2021 (Needham & Baldwin , 2021). Soon after it was discovered, warnings were issued by the US government to prevent such data leaks as genomic data could provide China a strategic strength to dominate both economically and militarily. The report states that the prenatal test kit has been used by 8 million women from over 52 countries to detect abnormalities in the fetus (Needham & Baldwin, 2021). The creation of a securitisation narrative suddenly put into question China’s economic and military ambitions as well as data privacy under the radar, giving states and bureaucracies an increased control over women’s bodies.
Ole Weaver argues that an issue becomes a security threat when it is seen as an existential threat to the survival or well being of the state. Such an approach to securitisation leads to extraordinary efforts outside the normal state functioning (Weaver, 1993). In this case, concerns about BGI’s potential use of genetic data by military or corporate giants poses a national security threat to all the nations who allowed for the sale of the testing kits.
The Reuters report argues that the collection of a large amount of genetic data with potential military ties is a threat to national security. They believe that this data could be used to develop biological weapons or target specific populations in warfare ( Needham & Baldwin, 2021). However, such a narrative of securitisation of prenatal kits can lead to a situation where such services are not made available to women, limiting their reproductive rights and access to bodily autonomy.
Securitization can be used to justify increased surveillance of individuals or companies in the name of national security. In such an instance Weaver’s argument for Desecuritisation of issues which have become securitized in the pursuit of political agendas seems significant. It brings into light the question if it is purely a security concern, or is it also about expanding state control over biotechnologies and its citizens?
Building upon the limitations of securitisation theory, Lene Hansen emphasizes the absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School’s framework. She believes that the subsuming status of gender in the broader list of security issues sidelines the threats faced by individuals based on their gender identity. She argues that securitization theory overemphasizes the role of states and political leaders in the construction of security threats (Hansen, 2000) .
The securitisation narrative of prenatal tests can overshadow the already existing gender inequalities, like limitations on abortion rights or discrimination based on gender. Genetic testing can be presented as an existential threat by the state and non-state parties which can lead to an overlap of issues of ‘international security’ with those of ‘social security’ .
According to her, gender-based security threats are characterized by their inseparability from ‘national’ security, than by a clearly delineated gendered referent object (Hansen, 2000). The US expert panel's acknowledgement of the gene data collection as “a new kind of national security threat” highlights that the data breach is seen more as an overall privacy violation than a gender specific threat. Hansen also critiques this intersectionality, recognizing that individuals experience security threats differently based on their varied identities such as gender, race, and class.
The concerns over the BGI prenatal gene test and its ties to the Chinese military reflects broader concerns about the governance of genetic data and its implications for national security of various nations.The bio-political narrative of gene data works through decisions about reproductive health and genetic information which intersect with broader political and security concerns. Michael Foucault's concept of Bio-politics argues that states increasingly control populations by regulating their bodies and health, including areas like birth rates, genetics, and public health. The term “governmentality” used by Foucalt describes the approaches used by institutions to exercise control over the population (Foucault, 2000).
The Reuters report sheds light on how a BGI study, used a military supercomputer to map out the prevalence of viruses in Chinese women, to look for indicators of mental illness in them, and single out Tibetan and Uyghur minorities to find links between their genes and their characteristics (Needham & Baldwin , 2021). Achille Mbembe's concept of Necropolitics which describes the power of the state to determine who lives and who doesn’t, controlling populations through surveillance and creations of conditions that lead to death is visible in BGI’s attempt to discriminate against or target certain groups based on genetic information. BGI’s collaboration with military hospitals advances the use of genetic research programs in order to enhance soldier’s performances, creating a space for discrimination and elimination of “deviant” individuals.
The securitization theory and its limitations helps us analyze how a case of gene data collection from women all across the world can be turned into a threat to national security as well as increase the legitimacy of state control over such issues which pose a direct threat to female bodies in particular.
Work Cited
1. Weaver, O. (1993). Securitization and desecuritization (Vol. 5). Copenhagen: Centre for Peace and Conflict Research.
2. Hansen, L. (2000). The Little Mermaid's silent security dilemma and the absence of gender in the Copenhagen School. Millennium, 29(2), 285-306.
3.Foucault, M. (1990). The history of sexuality: An introduction, volume I. Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 95, 1-160.
4.Mbembe, A. (2003). Necropolitics. Translated by Libby Meintjes. Public Culture, 15(1).
The blog presents a comprehensive analysis of the politics associated with genome data collection. Collecting of genetic data could worsen gender inequality already in place and result in more state control over women's bodies, given the expanding prenatal testing industry around the globe. The blog poses critical themes around the concept of national security and how the state can utilize it for expansion of its powers.