Hot Topics: Vulnerable Populations
by Rachel Fabi, PhD, Vivian V. Altiery De Jesús, MBE, and Liz Stokes, JD, MA, RN
In this series we ask bioethicists to respond to a question that embodies current challenges for bioethics, medicine, or health care.…
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by Susan L. Smith, PhD
On either side of our country’s northern border, outrage is brewing about the rich getting priority access to COVID-19 vaccinations. …
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by Mark G. Kuczewski, PhD
Another day, another headline to stoke fear in the minds and hearts of immigrants. This one did not come from the federal government but was based on the statements of Governor Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.…
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by Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA
I could be vaccinated against COVID-19 before Christmas this year.…
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by Craig Klugman
In a startling whistleblower report, Dawn Looten who is a licensed nurse practitioner at the Irwin County (GA) Detention Center (ICDC) stated that patients were denied COVID tests, medical records were altered and destroyed, and most disturbingly, that a very high number of hysterectomies were performed on detained immigrant women who may not have understood what was being done to them.…
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Keisha Ray, Ph.D.
Recently the term black bioethics has been having its moment. With the world’s recently increased attention to racial justice, institutional racism, and medical racism, there has been more attention to the relationship between black people and health and health care. …
Full ArticleDuties When an Anonymous Student Health Survey Finds a Hot Spot of Suicidality
Reassessing the Ethics of Molecular HIV Surveillance in the Era of Cluster Detection and Response: Toward HIV Data Justice
Mass vaccination reveals barriers to vaccine equity that exist in society. “Vaccine navigators have a role in improving vaccine equity: the challenge of responding to underlying inequalities that create barriers to health and health care.”
Full ArticleWhat can we do moving forward address disparities from COVID-19? Possibly, “a Covid Commission can help to untangle the scope and role government-sanctioned misinformation played in the U.S. death toll from the pandemic”
Full ArticleA bioethical approach necessitates justice for all populations, especially those most vulnerable. “Nearly 2,800 inmates and guards have died, making correctional facilities among the most significant battlefronts of the pandemic.”
Full ArticleAutonomy, a bioethics principle. How does autonomy look in the context of genomic data sharing? “A panel of researchers in Africa says that [little data control] can fuel distrust between researchers and participants, and needs to change.”
Full ArticleVaccination is hard. “It’s a debate that gets at fundamental questions about individual liberty, bodily autonomy, and communal obligation.” Check out this interview with Keisha Ray, a bioethicist speaking on the obligations for the COVID vaccine.
Full ArticleA vaccine surge is coming, but also poses many questions to solve. How can we ensure doses are going to those in need? With growing doses available, many factors need to be considered.
Full Article“People experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to disease and often live in close quarters. Reaching them for COVID-19 vaccination is crucial, public health officials say, yet also presents some unique challenges.”
Full Article“Though many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19, in some U.S. states they fear being left behind in a massive effort to get limited vaccines into the arms of those who need them most.”
Full Article“Working with limited supplies and imperfect scheduling systems, many pharmacists are drowning under a flood of inquiries. Wait lists, where they exist, are getting longer. And even creative solutions are succumbing to the cold realities of the day.”
Full ArticleNow, vaccines are being developed, some with lower efficacies than seen prior. How should we consider these new vaccines with the public health crisis? Check out this piece which argues that less efficacious vaccines in rollout can still be essential.
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