Description
Book SynopsisThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected every human being on the planet and forced us all to reflect on the bioethical issues it raises. In this timely book, Gregory Pence examines a number of relevant issues, including the fair allocation of scarce medical resources, immunity passports, tradeoffs between protecting senior citizens and allowing children to flourish, discrimination against minorities and the disabled, and the myriad issues raised by vaccines.
KEY FEATURES
- A thorough overview of the many ethical issues connected with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Engages with empirical data and the real-world practical problems that bear on pandemic response.
- Informed by foundational ideas in ethics as well as the latest in bioethics scholarship.
- Examines COVID-19 in the context of other historical pandemics.
- A portion of the revenue from this book’s sales will be donated to Doctors Without Borders to assist the humanitarian work of nurses, doctors, and other health care providers in the fight against COVID-19 and beyond.
Trade Review“Gregory Pence’s Pandemic Bioethics offers readers a sweeping, whirlwind tour of many of the ethical challenges encountered as SARS CoV-2 emerged and devastated the globe. Pence is a skilled storyteller, educating readers about the historical context of pandemics and the ethical questions unfolding with real-time medical, research, and societal successes and failures. Consistent with his longstanding attention to classic and ground-breaking cases in medical ethics, Pence challenges readers to capitalize on lessons learned from COVID-19 in order to make appropriate ethical decisions during this pandemic—and in ones to come.” — Christine Grady, Chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
“Pandemic Bioethics is an extraordinary achievement. Pence expertly blends a wide range of relevant information about the pandemic with a variety of ethical theories to explore the many issues the pandemic raises for bioethics. This book could serve as the basis for a course in bioethics, but it is so readable that it should interest anyone who wants a better understanding of decision making during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.” — Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University
“Pandemic Bioethics has it all, addressing historical and modern pandemics, policymaking and triage decisions, the development and allocation of vaccines, and current issues concerning privacy rights and vaccine ‘passports.’ This book is timely and necessary reading.” — Jennifer Parks, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
“Pandemic Bioethics is a much-needed resource for educating health-care professionals, government leaders, and the general public about the history of infectious disease outbreaks and how to evaluate the ethical propriety of various public health measures. Pence’s book will be an invaluable tool as the world prepares for the next major outbreak.” — Jason T. Eberl, Professor of Health Care Ethics and Philosophy, Saint Louis University
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1: Historical Pandemics and their Ethical Issues
- Chapter 2: Modern Viral Pandemics and their Ethical Issues
- Chapter 3: The Medical Natures of SARS2 and Clinical Course of COVID
- Chapter 4: Who Should Get Scarce Medical Resources When Not All Can? Distributive Justice in Allocating Scarce Medical Resources
- Chapter 5: Two Opposing Models of How to Fight Pandemics: Lockdown versus Focused Protection
- Chapter 6: Ethical Issues in the History of Creating Vaccines
- Chapter 7: Ethical Issues in Creating Vaccines for COVID
- Chapter 8: The Trolley Problem and Pandemics
- Chapter 9: Predicting Pandemic Damage: How Objective are Scientists?
- Chapter 10: COVID Passports: A New Caste System?
- Chapter 11: John Rawls and Protecting Vulnerable Patients
- Chapter 12: Foucault on Domination and Control: Will Pandemic Controls Destroy Basic Liberties?
- Chapter 13: Aristotle and the Ancient Greeks on Leading in Pandemics
- Chapter 14: Money and Germs: What is Medicine For?
- Chapter 15: Preparing for Future Pandemics
- Glossary
