Covid family clusters; vaccine obstacles and passports; WHO-China report on Covid
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Latest News
March 25, 2021
** Hastings President Discusses Disability Rights and Bioethics
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Listen to Podcast Interview
Hastings Center president Mildred Solomon discussed disability rights and bioethics, including Covid-related issues, during an interview on “Included: The Disability Equity Podcast.” She began by explaining The Hastings Center’s longstanding work on ethical issues concerning people with disabilities, a commitment that stretches back more than 50 years. She went on to address concerns that crisis triage protocols aimed at allocating scarce health care resources to save the most lives could be biased against people with disabilities. She said that triage protocols can both save lives and protect core values, such as the equal moral worth of all people. She also stressed ethical imperatives to prioritize people with disabilities for Covid vaccination and to work out the logistics of doing so, including arranging transportation to help people get to vaccination centers. Listen to the podcast episode here
([link removed]) . Also, read “Covid-19 Crisis Triage—Optimizing Health Outcomes and Disability Rights” ([link removed]) by Solomon and Hastings Center fellows Matthew K. Wynia and Lawrence O. Gostin in the New England Journal of Medicine. And learn about “The Art of Flourishing: Conversations on Disability,” ([link removed]) The Hastings Center’s events series supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
** Upcoming Event: Do Genetic Findings Impact Perceptions of Responsibility?
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Since the start of the Human Genome Project, bioethicists and geneticists have speculated that genetic information can have large impacts on how people understand what they—and other people—are responsible for or responsible to do. An upcoming virtual public symposium will 1) reflect on the many, complicated ways in which the term responsibility is used; 2) consider two specific contexts in which genetic information can impact perceptions of responsibility; and 3) step back and examine the extent to which the initial speculation about large impacts has been borne out by the evidence. The event will take place on May 28; it is sponsored by the Center for Research on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic & Behavioral Genetics at Columbia Irving Medical Center in collaboration with The Hastings Center. Learn more and register ([link removed]) .
** In the Media: Fewer Limits on Embryo Research; Traveling for a Covid Shot
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Josephine Johnston, Hastings director of research, responded to a report that a scientific body will soon recommend lifting an internationally recognized ethical limit on human embryo research. The limit, called the 14-day rule, arose after the birth of the first baby by in-vitro fertilization. “It was a political decision to show the public there is a framework for this research, that we aren’t growing babies in labs,” she said in an interview with MIT Technology Review. The rule was unchallenged until recently, when it became possible to grow embryos for as long as 13 days. Some scientists point to potential benefits of studying embryos for more than 14 days, including improved IVF; Johnston thinks that justifying the rule change is important for maintaining trust in science. Read the MIT Technology Review article ([link removed]) .
In an interview with Axios, Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger discussed ethical questions raised by residents of Des Moines, Iowa, who were eligible for vaccination: Should they go to rural areas where it’s easier to get appointments? She explained that as long as a person is eligible to be vaccinated, accepting an available appointment is ethical—and that there are larger questions about how to make vaccination more accessible for all: Are mismatches between supply and demand in different parts of the state creating barriers to vaccination for people who cannot travel long distances? Can outreach in rural areas be improved? Read the Axios interview ([link removed]) .
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Upcoming Events
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"Planning for Seniors Housing in Changing Cities: A Cross National Exchange" Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger will speak on priority topics related to seniors housing. May 11-12, 12 pm EST ([link removed]) .
"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, 12 pm EST. ([link removed])
"Do Genetic Findings Impact Perceptions of Responsibility?" sponsored by the Center for Research o Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic & Behavioral Genetics and Columbia Irvine Medical Center in collaboration with The Hastings Center. May 28, 9 am EST ([link removed]) .
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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