COVID-19 Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Third Dose Debate

Some people in the U.S. are now eligible for a booster COVID vaccine, but is it ethical to get a third dose while vast swaths of the globe have yet to receive their first?

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

Prioritizing COVID-19 ICU Beds

Isabel Yarwood Perez September 13, 2021 COVID-19 Hospitals ICU Vaccinations

As the Delta COVID variant surges across the nation, should vaccinated individuals have priority access to the dwindling supply of empty ICU beds?

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

A Responsible Rollout of the COVID-19 Vaccines

Isabel Brieler April 26, 2021 COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations

The CDC and FDA have recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over concerns about rare blood-clotting side effects, but given its wide-reaching consequences, was this an ethical decision?

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Ethics of Vaccine Passports

Sabrina Sy April 19, 2021 COVID-19 Travel Vaccinations

The idea of vaccine “passports” is being considered by a number of countries (including the U.S.) to regulate travel, recreational gatherings, and more, but is the concept ethically permissible when the general population doesn’t have equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine?

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

When Science Fails Minorities: Complications with the COVID-19 Vaccine

Tyler Amano-Smerling March 15, 2021 COVID-19 LGBTQIA+Racial Bias Vaccinations

Some minorities have understandable fears about the COVID-19 vaccine—how can those fears be assuaged, and whose responsibility is it to do so?

Fall 2020 Weekly News Profile

Who Should Get a New COVID-19 Vaccine First?

Isabel Yarwood Perez October 19, 2020 COVID-19 Distribution Vaccinations

10/19/2020 As flu season nears with an expected spike in cases, many companies are rushing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon…

Fall 2020 Weekly News Profile

Balancing Integrity with Privacy in Virtual Learning

Michael DeLucia October 5, 2020 COVID-19 Education Privacy

10/5/2020 With the coronavirus pandemic continuing much longer than anticipated, schools adjusting to fully virtual classes or a hybrid model are scrambling to find ways…

Summer 2020 Weekly News Profile

When COVID-19 Forces Ugly Decisions

Tyler Amano-Smerling August 10, 2020 COVID-19 Ethics Panel Hospitals

8/10/2020 As morgues in Arizona and Texas begin to overflow into refrigeration trucks and the number of Americans hospitalized nears a record high, COVID-19’s toll on Americans–– and American…

Current Issue

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Curing the Human Condition: The Ethics of Editing Our Own DNA

Connor Powers October 26, 2021

Thirty-two million Americans currently have health conditions linked to genetic defects, nearly all of which can be corrected by genetic editing with CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Opponents of gene editing abound, from those who point to their potential role in increasing the privilege gap between the rich and poor, to people who object morally to the idea of humans meddling with their own DNA, to pharmaceutical companies whose profits would be threatened by a reduced need for medication. However, after analysis of the ethicality of genetic editing technology with the frameworks of common good, utilitarianism, and fairness, it is evident that the eventual species-scale benefits that will be brought about by the technology outweigh its risks and flaws.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Animal Testing as a Means of Survival

Isabelle Lau October 26, 2021

The morality of animal testing has been widely debated since its origins in Ancient Greece. Testing on animals allows the evaluation of new drugs and procedures without harming humans but raises the question of whether animals should be forcefully used for human gain. This paper recommends that animal testing only be used for approved medical research necessary for human survival and when all other animal-free methods are inadequate. If researchers need to use animal testing, they must scrupulously follow guidelines to minimize animal pain and suffering.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

The Ethical Challenges of Neural Technology

Sabrina Sy October 26, 2021

Neural engineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field that utilizes engineering techniques to discover the function and manipulate the behavior of the human brain. Current research in neural engineering focuses on the development of treatments for neurological disorders that deplete the health of the nervous system and explores how the nervous system operates in both health and disease. Neural engineering has huge potential to relieve suffering in those who have lost functionality in their nervous systems, but the further development of this technology raises a number of ethical questions about identity, privacy, responsibility, and justice. These questions must be thoroughly addressed in order to guarantee the most responsible future development and use of neural engineering technologies.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Biohacking: The Ethical Implications of Democratizing Biotechnology

Lindsey Marks October 26, 2021

Biohacking is a Do-It-Yourself movement that encourages experimenting with biotechnology tools to find ways to improve one’s health and enhance one’s natural capabilities, and many in the movement advocate for the democratization of scientific tools so that everyone can participate in such scientific discovery. However, some biohackers take their experimentation to the extreme, and not all of them seem to understand the responsibility and risks associated with the scientific methods they employ. As a result, tension between the biohacking community and the professional science community has grown as biohacking continues to increase in popularity. Though the biohacking movement makes salient points about the way ethical precautions and regulation slow innovation, this paper explores the need for codes of ethics governing the pursuit of scientific discovery and how biohackers and traditional, trained scientists can reach common ground.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Why We Should Embrace Artificial Wombs

Timothy Wang October 26, 2021

A human fetus developing outside of a uterus may seem like science fiction at first, but artificial wombs are quickly becoming a reality. They’ve already been tested successfully on lambs, and some researchers predict they’ll be ready for human use in less than a decade. Despite criticism from opponents who see artificial wombs as “unnatural” or believe they will be harnessed to create genetically modified “designer babies,” this paper argues that the technology, once proven safe, is wholly ethical – and in certain cases, it may even be unethical not to use it.

Weekly News Profile

Fall 2021 Featured Weekly News Profile

Surgeons Perform First Successful Pig-to-Human Transplant Using a Genetically-Engineered Animal

Sabrina Sy October 25, 2021

In a revolutionary feat of science, medicine, and engineering, surgeons at NYU have successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human. However, as biotech companies rush to develop suitable animal organs for transplants, we must address the ethical concerns behind xenotransplantation.

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

Apple’s Control of the App Market

Isabel Brieler October 11, 2021

Apple has faced a lawsuit over their in-app payment policies, and recently filed an appeal to delay the judge’s decree that they allow app developers to direct users to third-party payment platforms — but do they have an ethical justification for this?

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Third Dose Debate

Teagan Ampe October 4, 2021

Some people in the U.S. are now eligible for a booster COVID vaccine, but is it ethical to get a third dose while vast swaths of the globe have yet to receive their first?

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Push for Universal Standards in the European Union

Michael DeLucia September 27, 2021

The European Union wants to standardize the connectors used in smartphones and many mobile devices — while this may help consumers in the short term, the jury is still out on the long-term efficacy of this policy.