Coronavirus Proves Inequality is a Public Health Threat
Ann Mongoven, associate director of Healthcare Ethics, emphasizes that the coronavirus outbreak underscores that access to primary health care is a necessity, and reminds us that humanity really is all in one boat.
"In the long run, we must integrate two moral languages that weaken each other when compartmentalized: social justice, and the common good. Health care for the vulnerable — frail elderly, the homeless, immigrants and refugees, the un- and under-insured — is often described as a social justice issue. Conversely, pandemic planning is often framed by the ethical challenge to protect the common good. But social justice is intrinsic to the common good. And the common good cannot be advanced without social justice."
Ann Mongoven, associate director of Healthcare Ethics, featured in The Mercury News.