About this event
Presented by Prof. Theresa Rossouw
This presentation will examine the ethical tensions that arise during vaccination efforts in pandemics, specifically focusing on the dichotomies of autonomy versus solidarity, national interest versus global equity, speed versus safety, and freedom versus responsibility. Historical instances, such as the smallpox and polio outbreaks, will be utilized to elucidate why pandemics present distinct ethical challenges. The discussion will address vaccination as both an individual health decision and a public health intervention. Core ethical principles, including autonomy, beneficence/non-maleficence, justice, solidarity, transparency, and trust, will be thoroughly explored. Attention will then be directed towards ethical priority-setting and distribution through the lens of global justice and solidarity. The presentation will further investigate ethical arguments for and against mandatory vaccination, the threshold for restricting autonomy in the interest of public health, and alternatives such as incentives, education, and voluntary uptake. Finally, it will address the balance between individual rights and collective responsibility. The talk will conclude with practical insights into principles for ethical decision-making under uncertainty, alongside considerations of fairness, responsibility, and trust.
