Ethical Theory in the News Assessment
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15th November 2020
Kolata’s article “Will the hardest-hit communities get the coronavirus vaccines” presents a critical ethical issue concerning the distribution of limited coronavirus vaccines once they are ready. The author is not so much interested in the safety of the vaccine, but primarily in the equality and fairness of its distribution. Experts argue that hardest-hit communities should be given priority during the vaccine distribution without being sensitive to the racial constitutions of these regions. Current data indicates that most affected communities are African-Americans and Hispanics, which ought to be given the vaccine fast before other communities. However, this selective distribution could raise concerns about racial consideration in the country. Some communities might feel favored, while others could feel secluded from the entire process.
Ideally, an individual using utilitarianism theory would acknowledge that distributing the vaccine to the hardest-hit communities would significantly enhance human health and reduce sufferings occasioned by the coronavirus diseases. Equally, individuals using the Kantian moral theory would appreciate that distributing the vaccine first to the hardest-hit communities is rational. These individuals need the vaccine more than any other community due to the prevalence of the disease within their region. Ideally, their densely populated neighborhoods with poor social amenities and infrastructure predispose them to the virus and disease. Importantly, failing to attack the virus from these high incidence communities might eventually affect other communities that are currently not severely affected.
Reflecting on the two approaches – using utilitarianism theory and using the Kantian moral theory -,, it is evident that both are logical and appropriate. They explain the significance of targeting the most vulnerable population in the fight against coronavirus. In addition to providing happiness and reducing suffering, the coronavirus vaccine distribution to the hardest-hit communities first is rational.
References
Kolata, G. (2020). Will the hardest-hit communities get the coronavirus vaccines? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/health/covid-vaccine-racism.html
Tannsjo, T. (2019). Setting Health-Care Priorities: What Ethical Theories Tell Us. Oxford University Press, USA.