Racial Justice is Good Medicine
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“The way police is killing black men is the way doctors are killing black women… but y’all are NOT ready for that conversation tho.” –Dime, MPH Like many medical professionals, when I read this Tweet (above), I was hurt and … Continue reading

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Health Disparities Highlighted by COVID-19 Also Show Up In Other Conditions: America’s Amputation Crisis
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In the United States, a new and troubling health disparity has arisen: Black folks are a disproportionate share of COVID-19 mortality. This highlights existing, background disparities that make some folks more vulnerable than others to the ravages of illness. This … Continue reading

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COVID-19 Childbirth Restrictions Could Disproportionately Harm Black and Native Women
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A recent article by Kimberly Seals Allers discusses how COVID-19 safety restrictions related to giving birth and breastfeeding could potentially disproportionately harm black and Native American women. Photo courtesy of Women’s E-News Some hospitals are now classifying not only family … Continue reading

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On this International Day to End Violence Against Women, keep the WHO mantra of “RESPECT” in mind
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Today is International Day to End Violence Against Women. The World Health Organization has a very helpful Twitter thread on the topic. One of their tweets links to this RESPECT framework for preventing Violence Against Women. It may be valuable … Continue reading

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Coercion in childbirth destroys informed consent, whether from docs or partners
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Over at Vice yesterday, Rachael Sigee has an article that is worth a look: When Domestic Abuse Destroys Your Childbirth Plan. The subtitle? “Over a third of domestic violence gets worse or starts during pregnancy. Two women break down what … Continue reading

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Bisexual Microaggressions in Medical Contexts
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We recently shared an IJFAB Blog guest blog by Heather Stewart and Lauren Freeman on microaggressions facing transgender folks seeking medical care. In this blog, Heather Stewart focuses on microaggressions facing bisexual persons in medical contexts. Stewart addresses numerous features … Continue reading

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Shifting Perspectives: A Victim-Centered Account of Microaggressions in Medicine, and Beyond
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Lauren FreemanHeather Stewart This guest blog comes to IJFAB from Lauren Freeman and Heather Stewart, and conveys the core of the argument they render in a recent issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal.  Freeman is Associate Professor of Philosophy … Continue reading

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Thinking about abortion beyond “pro-life” and “pro-choice”
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I have been seeing so much about the New York abortion law debate that I feel almost compelled to say a few words about it. The law states that a physician “may perform an abortion when, according to the practitioner’s … Continue reading

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“Are you really trans?”: The Problem with Trans Brain Science
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Editor’s Note: Anna K. Swartz works on neuroethics and mental illness. Here, she reflects on the conceptual and ethical pitfalls of attempting to use brain scans to determine whether children who report being trans are “really” trans. In late May … Continue reading

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‘No’ means we keep the Status Quo: A ‘yes’ vote is the only morally acceptable result in Ireland’s Abortion Referendum
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Editor’s Note: Irish philosopher Sorcha Uí Chonnachtaigh is a long-time member of the Feminist Approaches to Bioethics Network, and writes for IJFAB Blog today on the upcoming urgent vote on whether to keep Ireland’s 8th amendment. As has long been noted, … Continue reading

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Individualization, Access, and Bias: ACOG issues new consensus call for improvements to maternal health care, but there are serious pitfalls to watch out for
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I am struck by what health care disparities and the lived experiences of postpartum patients mean for implementation of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s new guidelines on postpartum care. These guidelines valuably refocus the medical establishment’s focus on … Continue reading

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Weight-loss surgery for teens: a disturbing trend
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We bloggers and readers been writing and talking amongst ourselves lately about children, weight, fat shaming, and concerns about policing and medicalizing kids’ bodies. Once you start down this path, it’s really hard to stop. And where does this lead? … Continue reading

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