On the Proposal not to Vaccinate the Aged for COVID-19

4 Pages Posted: 17 Sep 2020

See all articles by Barbara Pfeffer Billauer

Barbara Pfeffer Billauer

Institute of World Politics; International Program in Bioethics, U. of Porto; Foundation for Law and Science Centers, Inc.

Date Written: September 17, 2020

Abstract

Public Health Practice champions the objective of saving lives when allocating scarce resources. Bioethical precepts advocate equal respect for individuals. Anti-discrimination laws forbid making decisions on the basis of class or stereotypes. What happens when academics propose vaccine- allocation plans (in an article in The Conversation) which trespass on all three- promising that their plain will stop the epidemic?

Insidious schemes which seem to promise nirvana while violating human and civil rights need to be examined very carefully. In this case, a careful examination discloses the proposed plan is inherently flawed, not just from a legal and ethical perspective, but from a public health perspective as well.

Keywords: ethics, discrimination, stereotypes, superspreaders, elderly, vaccine allocation, triage, covid, public health, public heath practice

JEL Classification: I12. I14, I18, K32, K36

Suggested Citation

Billauer, Barbara P., On the Proposal not to Vaccinate the Aged for COVID-19 (September 17, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3694407 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3694407

Barbara P. Billauer (Contact Author)

Institute of World Politics ( email )

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International Program in Bioethics, U. of Porto ( email )

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Foundation for Law and Science Centers, Inc. ( email )

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