Last Week in Bioethics
February 20-26, 2023
Hey Curious Human!
This is my first Curious Bioethics Collection!
In today’s collection, you’ll find:
Bioethics in the News
What I’m Reading
Educational Opportunities
Bioethics in the News
California says it can no longer afford aid for COVID testing, vaccinations for migrants
“But now, as the state confronts a projected $22.5-billion deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom said it can no longer afford to contribute to the centers, which also receive federal and local grants. The Democratic governor in January proposed phasing out state aid for some medical services in the next few months, and eventually scaling back the migrant assistance program unless President Biden and Congress step in with more help.”
Why it matters: Migrant workers have been hit hard in the pandemic. Pulling back assistance from the most marginalized groups doesn’t make for good public health prevention, but California is making the argument that the Federal government needs to step up it’s support.
Most people in most states support legal abortion
“PRRI conducted a huge, national poll on views of abortion, covering respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It found that not only that do most Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, but most people in most states hold that position.”
Graphic from The Washington Post
Why it matters: The U.S. is not divided on abortion access. Even Republicans are more the 2x as likely to say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases than to say it should be banned.
12 States Sue the FDA to make medication abortion more accessible.
Why it matters: Restrictions on mifepristone are unecessarily burdensome for patients, pharmacists, and prescribers. If this suit is successful, this could help significantly improve safe and effective abortion access.
What I’m Reading
On Revolution: We need medicine for the people and by the people, not for the healthcare industry to feed itself. Eric Reinhart’s essay in STAT calls for a healthcare revolution, and I’m here for it.
“In sum, what U.S. public health needs — even if those who benefit from the status quo refuse to see it — is an inversion of the power structure that governs it. Rather than doctors perpetually running the show, clinical and scientific experts need to acknowledge the limits of their knowledge and embrace supportive roles in a redesigned public health system that is guided by and accountable to the communities whose lives are most affected by public health policy decisions.”
ChatGPT has been all the rage the last few months. On Bioethics Today (where I’m an editor), I’ve read about ChatGPT’s Irrevocably Progressive Attitude. Oh boy, does this tech think it’s all that and a bag of chips. We are going to need to teach this tech to recognize AI will not bring all good things. There are lots of ethical concerns.
Educational Opportunities
Free and/or low-cost educational opportunities on bioethics issues.
ProPublica’s Post-Roe: Today’s Abortion Landscape
March 2, 2023, 4:00 pm EST, Virtual.
Join ProPublica for a wide-ranging discussion about our abortion rights coverage. Abortion legal scholar Mary Ziegler (now based at University of California) and OB/Gyn Nikki Ziti will be there, as well as a great lineup of ProPublica reporters.
Getting to the Root: Unpacking and Dismantling the Family Policing System
March 2, 2023, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST, Virtual.
Join NAASW and Haymarket for a panel discussion that will explain the harms of CAPTA and discuss what can be done about it.
That’s it! Thanks for staying 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 & Be Curious,
Dr. Alyssa Burgart