Ethical challenges for women's healthcare highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic

October 12, 2020

Bethany Bruno, David I Shalowitz, Kavita Shah Arora

Journal of medical ethics

The article analyzes some critical points in women's health certainly worthy of discussion, particularly during this pandemic. Clinical guidelines around the world have established delaying elective or non-urgent surgeries. Following these terms, unwanted pregnancy procedures have been delayed too. So the respiratory virus causing the pandemic now threatens American women's legitimate right to choose over their bodies too. The authors also look at the role of pregnancy, accurately stressing about pregnant women being left out of COVID-19 drugs/vaccines trials. This exclusion is unfair and dangerous because it leaves the whole OB/GYN fields without all that potentially relevant data. The authors remind us how important it is to keep looking beyond the evident crisis and to do not hesitate to make an effort in rearranging how it has been chosen to be handled.

Bruno B, Shalowitz DI, Arora KS. Ethical challenges for women's healthcare highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 12]. J Med Ethics. 2020;medethics-2020-106646. doi:10.1136/medethics-2020-106646

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