Migration in the Darién Gap: global bioethics and ethics of care

Abstract

This article analyzes the Darién Gap transit migration phenomenon. It traces the current relevance of
discussions on this phenomenon in recent academic literature, questions the lack of analysis of this
issue from a bioethical perspective, and proposes including, to that end, the global bioethics and ethics
of care assumptions. From this perspective, three development stages are established. Initially, the text
characterizes the Darién jungle transit migration phenomenon based on the academic literature and
non-governmental organization reports. Subsequently, it analyzes global bioethics and, in particular,
the “acceptable survival” and “planetary sustainability” notions as a possible approach to dealing with
transit migration. Finally, it addresses several ethics of care assumptions, especially of the relationality
and vulnerability categories, which would also integrate the analysis of global bioethics.