Clinical Ethics and a President’s Capacity: Balancing Privacy and Public Interest
The Biden Administration is struggling with a dilemma that has a clinical ethics component. Where does the President’s right to privacy about his health end and the public’s right to know begin? This question has recurred throughout American history and, unfortunately, has often been answered the wrong way--with deception. Clinical ethics norms and recent legal precedent offer important insights for responding to this ethical dilemma with much-needed transparency in a way that respects all parties involved.