We Can Help You, But First…: Reports out of DCR indicate ebola vaccine study recruiters are demanding sex in exchange for enrollment
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In the last few days, allegations of terrible ethical violations have hit the news. These primarily concern Congolese women who are being recruited for the Ebola vaccine trials, and who are seeking vaccination under the “compassionate use” exemptions that allow … Continue reading

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Woman’s Body as Public Property: Title X and Reproductive Choice in Trump’s America
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Initiated in 1970, Title X is the only federal grant that is solely dedicated to providing family-planning funding, with a focus on serving low-income populations. The Title X program historically allowed all women, regardless of economic circumstances, access to birth … Continue reading

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How to Fail Chronic Pain Patients
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An article recently posted by NPR describes the latest solution to a crisis of which usually only one side is well-represented:  the well-publicized fear of opioid abuse versus the quieter, yet ongoing, experiences of chronic pain patients who are losing … Continue reading

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Questions and Sorrow and Regret and a Plan: Reflections on Medical Scarcity and Triage in the Gaza Strip
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We all see things through our lenses, for good or for ill. And when listening to the numbers of civilian casualties in Gaza in U.S. press coverage over the last few days, I kept thinking about the emergency rooms and … 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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King’s Words on Health Injustice: what did he actually say?
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Editor’s Note: This blog is a short version of the issue that author and feminist bioethicist Charlene Galarneau wrestles with in her article “Getting King’s Words Right” in the most recent issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and … Continue reading

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The public health response that drug addiction should always have gotten is coming into play for opioids in a way it never did for crack
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Whenever there is a disparate social response to a problem that afflicts one group of people relative to a problem that afflicts another, it is worth asking why. Such questions are not asked to imply that no one should  get … Continue reading

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IJFAB Blog series: Responses to the Trump Administration’s policies on medical conscience claims
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As you may have heard, the Trump Administration has announced an expanded policy on conscientious objection in medicine, with institutional support in the form of a Department of Health and Human Services office that will be responsible for protecting objectors. … Continue reading

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Everything Old Is New Again: Patient Dumping in the United States
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  A recent, though smaller than deserved, furor erupted in the US over a video of a non-white female patient being dropped off via wheelchair at a bus stop by hospital personnel during freezing temperatures wearing only a hospital gown … Continue reading

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Keisha Ray makes an important analysis of black women’s maternal health disparities in the US
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Over at bioethics.net, bioethicist Keisha Ray addresses the maternal health disparities experienced by black women, in particular. In her blog, “BLACK WOMEN ARE DYING IN DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBERS DURING AND AFTER GIVING BIRTH AND NOT EVEN CELEBRITY SERENA WILLIAMS IS SAFE” … Continue reading

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New assisted reproduction regulations require feminist voices

Editor’s Note: Today we have a special co-authored blog entry by four feminist reproductive justice advocates working on what is known in bioethics as ARTs (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) and other related tech.  Francine Coeytaux, MPH    Co-Director, Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research … Continue reading

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Who Should Be Responsible for Environment, Health, and Politics: Detroit and 1,300 other “hotspots” have higher lead poisoning rates than Flint and someone needs to do something
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The long-time reader of IJFAB Blog, and alert bioethicist who follows the news, will remember the Flint water crisis.  As numerous investigative news articles–and even at least one news comedy show–have pointed out, Flint is by no means alone in the … Continue reading

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