生命教育和兩性平等教育是近年臺灣正規教育系統內的重要課題,雖然少以正式課程推行,卻是各級學校教師研習的重點項目,可視為教師人格修養及教學知能的一部分。筆者目前從事生命教育工作,並對性別教育相關論題長期關心,乃嘗試將性別教育與生命教育相關論題融匯貫通,結合成具有哲學批判意義的性別生命教育(gendered life education),本文章即屬此一嘗試的哲理基礎奠定。性別教育和生命教育皆為西方文化產物,筆者希望正本清源,通過文獻分析,檢視女性主義生命倫理學(feminist bioethics)成為性別生命教育哲學基礎的可能。且將其擴充至「愛」的教育實務考察,以做為正規教育推廣的參考。
性別與性是有所差別的,女性主義對此分辨得十分清楚。Tierney (1991:153)指出,性所代表的是兩性在形態與生理方面的生物性差異;性別則是兩性通過社會性發展所呈現出角色、行為、個性等方面的區別,屬於文化建構(cultural construct)。例如將親屬系統(kinship systems)奠基於婚姻關係,無形中使得原本只是生理有別的男性和女性(male and female),變成不完整的兩半(incomplete half),即男人和女人(men and women),必須通過結婚以求合一(Rubin,1995:173)。兩性是自然條件,婚姻是文化產物,結婚與否在此可以「盡人事,聽天命」。換言之,生為男女由不得自己,要不要找伴侶卻可以自求多福。許多少男少女陷入愛情泥淖中不克自拔,甚至走上絕路,多少是因為忽略了善盡人事的重要。此外性別差異尚且涉及權力、財產等因素,使得男人和女人在自殺動機及行為上皆有所不同(Canetto,1997:138-167)。這些研究告訴我們,性別意識在生死大事中可能產生的影響力。
將女性主義觀點導入生命倫理學,使得任何一個涉及生命倫理的考量,都必須納入社會現存權力關係的脈絡(Sherwin,1996:56-59)。在權力關係消長的省思下,所有性別宰制和歧視都無所遁形。而發生在衛生保健機構中的性別宰制和歧視,無疑屬於生命倫理學必須正視的課題。Dresser(1996: 144-146)舉出六○年代末期發生在美國的女性保健自力救濟運動(women’s self-help health movement)為例,這場多采多姿的運動對存在於醫療界中的性別議題,起了一定的改善作用。這些議題包括:女性病人面對男性醫師父權作風的不悅感受、女性居於衛生保健人力資源主力卻沒有獲得相對的尊重、衛生保健系統長期忽視女性及其他弱勢族群的需求。
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