The World Health Organization recently released a long-anticipated report on SARS-CoV-2 origins, based on 28 days of field research and site visits in China conducted jointly by 17 international and WHO experts and 17 Chinese counterparts. The report assessed possible pathways for the transmission o...

There are a whole lot of us who think that, if we had dementia and were unable to live independently, we would prefer death. The idea that someone suffering from dementia and confined to a nursing home might actually welcome death is apparently so taboo that it cannot be openly contemplated.

Is it wrong for doctors to judge their patients’ choices? I have reflected on this question while being on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City. Health care professionals are trained to serve patients and the community without expecting much from them in return. In the current m...

How should the American bioethics community respond to the latest “crisis at the border,” focused on record numbers of unaccompanied minors – children and teenagers traveling from the Northern Triangle of Central America without parents or guardians — presenting at border crossings along...

As Covid-19 continues to plague the United States, insufficient attention has been paid to the role that incarcerated persons play in the persistence of this pandemic and the work that should be done to limit their infection and suffering. Infection rates among incarcerated populations are approxima...

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout is currently a hub of individual, sociopolitical, and ethical activity.  As we watch the numbers of daily doses administered rising, we may feel engaged in a successful, miraculous scientific project that will help end the yearlong nightmare that is this pandemic. P...

Reparations in various forms of compensation to the American victims of preventable Covid, who may experience lifelong health effects, is obligatory.

Now, with limited distribution of vaccines with varying degrees of efficacy there is renewed interest in immunity passports; more accurately described as vaccination certificates. What remains to be determined is who may use this documentation for what purpose.

Willingness to be vaccinated is not the only factor that may reduce vaccination rates. Fear is a powerful deterrent for individuals in hidden populations, especially undocumented immigrants. Even if their work or other circumstances place them at high risk of infection, many would be unlikely to risk the consequences of coming forward to be vaccinated.

Vaccine navigators have emerged as a response to the complexity of mass vaccination for Covid-19.

Congress recently announced plans for an independent commission to investigate the facts and causes of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. This 1/6 Commission is to be modelled after the 9/11 Commission. A national commission to investigate the disaster that the Covid-19 virus has caused in America must also be launched.

In January, right before President Biden took office, the Food and Drug Administration proposed permanently exempting “software as a medical device” from regulatory review. The agency waived the approval process last year to streamline regulatory oversight during the Covid emergency. But the growing use of artificial intelligence programs and digital devices in health care raises safety and ethical concerns that require more attention. The Biden administration put the proposal on hold for now. Meanwhile, bioethicists should weigh in as the FDA reviews its action plan.