Curious Bioethics: November 10, 2024
Election bioethics, American Detox, Nursing Ethics Conference, work for Don't Clock Out
In today’s curated collection, you’ll find:
🗞️Bioethics News: abortion ballot results, insurance subsidies expiration, RFK’s possible public health role
📚Recommended Reading: Kerri Kelly’s American Detox
🦉Educational Opportunities: Understanding Judith Butler’s work on gender, National Nursing Ethics Conference
⛑️ Job Opportunities: Become a Don’t Clock Out facilitator
Happy Sunday, My Curious Readers!
It’s been a week… not only did we finally finish years of election campaigning, it ended with a result that will definitely have some unique bioethics issues. I presume some of you dear readers continue to grieve after the election for so many reasons. If you missed this earlier this week, consider reading today.
America continues to deal with the fallout from Hurricane Helene, which took out a major IV fluid plant in North Carolina. As an ethicist, this has meant I’ve had a lot of extra, very important meetings about ethics things - like the standard of care and civil rights and just access to resources.
Sadly, on top of all that, I caught some miserable URI this week that has had me in bed, coughing, and using up every tissue in the house. Truly, I’m a disgusting, snotty person. Thanks to at-home COVID tests, I’m pretty sure it’s not that. My kid dressed up as a plague doctor for Halloween, but maybe we shouldn’t put the costume away yet so they can wear the creepy mask to check on me and my pile of tissues.
My house is still full of an outrageous amount of Halloween candy (which the kids separated into house candy, spare candy, and giveaway candy), so at least there’s plenty of sugar around to cope with.
🗞️ Bioethics in the News
Jessica Valenti’s 2024 Election Results: Abortion Ballot Measure Edition
Your guide to 10 key initiatives and amendments, and how they fared on Election Day
Arizona Prop 139 – Passed
Colorado Amendment 79 – Passed
Florida Amendment 4 – Didn’t Pass
Maryland Question 1 – Passed
Missouri Amendment 3 – Passed
Montana CI-128 – Passed
Nebraska Initiative 439 – Didn’t Pass, Anti-Abortion 434 Passed
Nevada Question 6 – Passed
New York Prop 1 – Passed
South Dakota Amendment G – Didn’t Pass
If you’re deeply interested in abortion (like me), consider subscribing to
at .NBC’s Millions at risk of losing health insurance after Trump's victory
Subsidies to buy insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are set to expire at the end of 2025. If they're not extended, coverage could become unaffordable for many.
The subsidies — which expire at the end of 2025 — came out of the 2021 American Rescue Plan, and increased the amount of assistance available to people who want to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The American Rescue Plan also broadened the number of people eligible for subsidies, extending them to many in the middle class.
The looming expiration date means that the incoming Congress and next president will need to decide whether to extend them — something Trump and Republicans have already signaled they don’t support.
STAT News: What can Trump and RFK Jr. actually do on health care?
The meteoric rise of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to anti-vax, pro-health conspiracy fame placed him in Trump’s orbit. Big public health changes may lie ahead if RFK gets even part of what he wants. Read more on STAT News.
📚 Recommended Reading
American Detox
The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal
by Kerri Kelly
Framed by Kelly’s experiences of loss in 9-11 and her journey down a wellness rabbit hole, American Detox expertly tells the story of a $650 billion-a-year industry that profits on Americans being chronically unwell.
If you’re looking for a basic primer on social justice and how the wellness industry interfaces with capitalism, this is a great start. The book covers the surface material well, but I personally would have liked to see more critique of white-centered wellness. If you’re already deep into a personal social justice educational journey, this book may not be meaty enough, but you’ll appreciate the well-cited resources and recommended reading list.
“American Detox is for those of us who believe we can and need to do better for ourselves, our communities, and our society. We’re not afraid to ask hard questions and have radical dialogue about politics and patriarchy, white supremacy and worthiness. And we’re serious about showing up for one another and taking action for the wellbeing of everyone.”
I’m a big fan of the author Kerri Kelly’s
Newsletter:
🦉Educational Opportunities
Philosophy Tube: on Judith Butler’s book Who is Afraid of Gender? (and Butlers other work)
No registration is required! Just go straight to YouTube for this on-demand bioethics education.
National Nursing Ethics Conference
Everyday Ethics Rooted in Trust
The call for Abstracts is open now. Click here for more details and to apply.
When: March 13-14, 2025
Where: UCLA Luskin Conference Center, Los Angeles, CA
How: Register and see the program at https://ethicsofcaring.org/
⛑️ Job Opportunities
The healthcare worker organization Don’t Clock Out is recruiting Peer Support Co-Facilitators. They are looking for healthcare workers with experience in mental health care and/or facilitation. Pay includes $50 for facilitation hours and $25 for post-facilitation documentation. The Instagram reel has more info:
Don’t Clock Out is a 501(c)(3) mental health nonprofit founded and led by healthcare workers dedicated to supporting our community through the impacts of moral distress.
Made of a coalition of healthcare workers & advocates dedicated to supporting healthcare worker wellbeing.
Don’t Clock Out believes that through peer support, community & acknowledgment of the role of systemic exploitation, we can directly mitigate the impacts of moral distress & begin to reclaim our sense of purpose.
That’s it!
As always, thanks for being curious!
Hit reply and let me know what ethics issues you are most curious about this week—I’d love to hear from you!
See you next week!
Be Well & Stay Curious,
Alyssa