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Abstract (AI English translation)
Information popover about translation disclaimerAround March 2005, in the city of Bogotá, a problem unexpectedly arose involving a very specific population group. This caused various sectors of our society to express themselves in various ways, seeking to analyze, propose solutions, protest, criticize, etc. It is not uncommon for large population centers such as our capital city to experience countless conflicts among its members and for factions to form with particular situations that can lead to the formation of true subgroups that naturally arouse interest in the observer. In this work, I want to address, from a bioethical perspective, the people who are often ignored, the people whose lifestyles, customs, and associated pathologies provoke rejection, repulsion, or fear in ordinary citizens, but who are also a cause for concern for the authorities. There are the "crazies," the "gamines," the disabled, the decrepit elderly, people of other races or customs. We feel attacked when they beg us for alms, or because of their hostile attitude or dirty appearance; often because they choose us as victims of street robbery; also because they invade parks and streets with their belongings and animals, or exhibit strange behavior that definitely makes us stay away or call the authorities to "clean up" the city. They are undesirable people: in a word, social outcasts.