Curious Bioethics: April 10-16, 2023
Black maternal health week, mifepristone, Clarence Thomas
Hey there, Curious Human!
In today’s curated collection, you’ll find:
Bioethics in the News: Black Maternal Health week, Mifepristone, Clarence Thomas
What I’m Reading: physicians and the Holocaust, we can do more than say no to anti-trans legislation.
Bioethics in the News
Black Maternal Health Week
From April 11-17, 2023 Black Mamas Matter Alliance held the 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week, “centering the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.” The CDC’s recent release of maternal mortality data shows Black birthing people, in particular, are not getting the safe and effective care they deserve.
This year’s theme is Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy. Click here to see Black Mamas Matter’s toolkit.
Mifepristone
As you know, I’ve been following the case of mifepristone access closely. Last week, the Supreme Court put a brief hold on a Texas federal judge’s ruling revoking key FDA approvals for the abortion drug. Otherwise, this ruling would have gone into effect on April 15.
Clarence Thomas has billions of conflicts of interest
On April 6, ProPublica revealed that for 20 years, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been accepting (and not disclosing) massively expensive luxury vacations with billionaire conservative Harlan Crow. New reporting reveals the dealings were not limited to vacations - Crow also bought property from Thomas.
Thomas’ opinions have been key on a number of conservative issues - including the overturn of Roe v. Wade (which he’s openly attacked since a year after taking the bench), his invitation for suits attacking contraception and same-sex marriage, and his support of gun rights.
What I’m Reading This Week
Doctors were complicit in Holocaust atrocities. Current and future health care workers need to know that
I read this essay by Hedy Wald and colleagues in STAT First Opinion last year, but am re-reading it this year (April 17 is Yom Ha Shoah/Holocaust Memorial Day). I’ve been fascinated with doctors who do terrible things for many years. We’re supposed to be these virtuous caregivers, but I see the cracks in the plaster too often. It’s critical for physicians like me to recognize doctors planned, promoted, and coordinated the murder of millions of innocent people.
I see the worsening of nationalism, antisemitism, misogyny, and anti-trans sentiment in America and know that doctors need to get on the correct side of history - aligned with patients, not oppressors.
Anti-Trans Laws Aren’t Symbolic. They Seek to Erase Us From Public Life
This essay from Them magazine last year has proven to be painfully accurate. If you’re not familiar with the economic insecurity faced by many trans youths, this is an important piece tying the basic needs of all people to the harms of transphobic laws.
“We can do more than just saying no to transphobic politics. Instead of treating trans people’s lives as a battle over abstract moral or ethical principles, we can oppose transphobia on material grounds, full stop. And we can demand resources like housing, education, and healthcare for trans people because we demand them for everyone.”
That’s it!
As always, thanks for being curious!
Hit reply and let me know what ethics issues you are most curious about this week—I’d love to hear from you!
See you next week!
Be Well & Be Curious,
Alyssa
