Coronavirus; Pandemic; Ethics; Public Health; Animal Ethics; Zoonotic Disease; Factory farm; Social Distancing
Head to Head: the ethics of vaccine passports and COVID passes
Crosspost with the Conversation, read the original article here
by Alberto Giubilini (University of Oxford) and Helen Kennedy (University of Sheffield)
COVID passes for England were given the green light in parliament in December, with 369 MPs voting in favour and 128 against. From now on, people attending large events will be required to show proof of vaccination – two doses, to become three after a “reasonable” amount of time – or a recent negative lateral flow test. The schemes were already being used in other parts of the UK, with slight differences.
First mandated in Israel, COVID passports consist of a paper or digital document that provides proof you have been fully vaccinated against COVID, have recovered from the virus, or have recently tested negative. The vaccination certificates were adopted widely around Europe, for sole domestic use in some countries and as travel passes in others.
But some critics have questioned the need of enforcing a passport, on the basis that while vaccines have been proven to reduce the chance of falling seriously ill, they do not fully stop the spread of the disease. And an increasing number of commentators have leveraged ethical arguments, comparing vaccine passports to a form of state coercion. We asked digital society professor Helen Kennedy and ethics researcher Alberto Giubilini for their views.
Alberto Giubilini: We’ve never had to deal with a pandemic like this in our lifetime. For the last year and a half, we’ve undertaken all sorts of big experiments, some of which have yet to be proven to work. One is lockdowns: the huge costs involved hadn’t been predicted or taken into consideration, even when introduced for the second or third time. Continue reading →
Mandatory Vaccination Should Be Selective, Not General
By Alberto Giubilini and Julian Savulescu
As resurgent Covid-19 spreads rapidly across Europe, in countries such as Austria and the Netherlands the authorities are re-imposing lockdowns. And in response thousands are marching – and rioting.
People are clearly fed up with losing their liberties. Indeed, more liberties may soon be taken away from people: in Austria, the authorities say they will make Covid vaccination mandatory for almost everyone from February 1. It’s also being reported that Germany may follow suit.
Should the UK do the same?
Video Series: Factory Farms are Breeding Grounds for Pandemics
In this Thinking Out Loud interview with Dr Katrien Devolder (Philosophy, Oxford), Professor Aaron S. Gross (Theology and Religious Studies, San Diego) explains why factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics, and what we, as individuals, can do to reduce the risk of new pandemics arising (even if we don’t feel ready just as yet to become vegan).
Video Series: Should We Feed Our Pets a Vegan Diet?
In this new Thinking Out Loud interview, Katrien Devolder talks to philosopher Dr Josh Milburn (Sheffield) about whether we should (and can) feed our cat or dog a vegan diet. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid products from factory farms (e.g. to prevent future pandemics, to reduce animal suffering, to reduce antimicrobial resistance, to reduce global heating…). We can change our own diets, but can we change that of our pets? We discuss the option of vegan pet food, pet food made from invertebrates, and in vitro meat (incl. in vitro human flesh!). Watch on the Practical Ethics Channel!
Pandemic Ethics: Social Distancing for Animals
By Katrien Devolder
Why do we force animals into close contact with each other, and with humans, while encouraging or even requiring humans to keep apart? Dangerous viruses do not distinguish between human and non-human vectors, so why do we?
The vast majority of countries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic have adopted social distancing measures ranging from rules dictating how close we may be to each other, to bans on indoor gatherings, to closures of schools and workplaces, to travel bans. These measures have come at a significant cost—to the economy, to our mental health, and to our relationships. But they have saved, and are still saving, many lives. In many cases, these measures are therefore widely considered justified and indeed of the utmost importance.[1]
But if social distancing is crucial in confronting pandemics, why do we restrict it to humans? After all, many of the most dangerous infectious diseases (including SARS, MERS, HIV-AIDS, and very likely Covid-19) originated in animals and were then transmitted to humans. Each year, such ‘zoonotic’ diseases infect one billion people and cause millions of deaths.[2] If dangerous viruses do not distinguish between human and non-human vectors, why do we? Continue reading →
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