Democracy in Crisis; Vaccine Allocation; CRISPR's Dark Side

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February 18, 2021


** Advancing Health Equity and Community
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Watch the Daniel Callahan Annual Lecture
The Covid-19 pandemic has made longstanding, seemingly intractable inequities painfully visible. African Americans and Latinx communities are dying at three times the rate of white communities, and there is growing momentum for racial reckoning not seen since the 1960s. How might the thinking and insights of Martin Luther King be useful to us now? That was the central question explored by Professor Patrick T. Smith of Duke University and Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon in the Daniel Callahan Annual Lecture, an online event on February 9. The conversation centered around the ways in which we can apply King’s commitment to solidarity in addressing inequities caused by the pandemic and racism. “The title of King's last book is Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? In some ways, this is our question,” Smith said. “May we be committed to the dignity of those who are on the margins, stand in solidarity with them, and work for their common good by advancing and advocating for
material forms of concrete justice.” Watch the video of the event ([link removed]) .


** In the Media: Ethical Morass of Vaccine Eligibility, Alzheimer's Patients' Silent Suffering
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A freelance music teacher who teaches remotely qualifies to get a Covid vaccine; should he take it, or should he let someone at higher risk go ahead of him? This was one of several ethical questions posed to Hastings Center senior advisor Faith Fletcher by people listening to the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, where she was a guest last week. Fletcher said that it was acceptable to take the opportunity to get a vaccination because we can’t always predict if the vaccination would go to someone at higher risk. But she emphasized that more needs to be done to reach communities of color and people in rural areas and to address their concerns about vaccinations. “It’s our moral responsibility to make sure that communities and community leaders are really driving vaccination strategies,” she said. “In essence, this is community-engaged ethics.” Listen to the Brian Lehrer Show ([link removed]) .

Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon expanded on the equity concerns in vaccine allocation in a Q&A with Infectious Disease Advisor. “We really need to go where the greatest harm is occurring and that means communities of color and Indigenous populations,” she said. “And providers, our health systems, public health agencies in hard-to-reach rural areas should be making noise to make sure they’re noticed.” Read the Infectious Disease Advisor article ([link removed]) .

Many people with Alzheimer’s disease suffer with undiagnosed or unaddressed pain, since cognitive changes associated with the disease can affect a person’s ability to identify pain and to communicate about it. Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger discussed the problem in an interview with The Atlantic. “Pain is not one thing. There’s pain, and there’s the suffering of pain,” she said. “What you’re feeling, and how you feel about it.” She added that it often falls to family members to manage dementia care, including the experience of pain. “Families deal with this by themselves, and it’s wrong.” Read The Atlantic article ([link removed]) .




** Ethical Inclusion of Health Care Workers in Covid-19 Research
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Frontline health care workers may be targeted for Covid-19 research for a variety of reasons—their risks of viral exposure and psychological strain, among other factors. However, there are ethical concerns about consent and confidentiality, particularly when it is colleagues of the health care workers who are recruiting them for studies. An early view article in Ethics & Human Research examines the ethical issues and concludes that additional safeguards may be needed in employer-based research to avoid scientific bias, promote voluntariness, and solicit stakeholder input. The article outlines seven criteria for ethical inclusion of health care workers in research. Read the Ethics & Human Research article ([link removed]) .



**
Upcoming Events
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Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon will be the guest speaker on "Included: The Disability Equity Podcast," of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center.

"We Are All Somebody's Child: Disability Speciesism, and the Problem of Dehumanization." Joel Michael Reynolds, assistant professor of philosophy at Georgetown University and a senior advisor at The Hastings Center, will speak at the UNC Charlotte Center for Professional and Applied Ethics. February 24, 3 pm Eastern Time.

"Binocularity: A Conceptual Tool for Comprehending and Respecting Persons." Senior research scholar Erik Parens will be presenting as part of the Montreal Health Ethics Conference Series 2021: Wellness, health and human flourishing. May 27, 12pm EST.

Learn More ([link removed])
The Hastings Center seeks to ensure responsible health and science policy and practice. We work to secure the wisest possible use of emerging technologies and fair, compassionate, and just health care for people across their lifespan.

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