1. Global sharing of COVID‐19 vaccines: A duty of justice, not charity.
- Author
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Jecker, Nancy S.
- Subjects
- *
JUSTICE , *COVID-19 pandemic , *COVID-19 vaccines , *DUTY , *SOCIAL injustice - Abstract
Global scarcity of COVID‐19 vaccines raises ethical questions about their fair allocation between nations. Section I introduces the question and proposes that wealthy nations have a duty of justice to share globally scarce COVID‐19 vaccines. Section II distinguishes justice from charity and argues that beneficiaries of unjust structures incur duties of justice when they are systematically advantaged at others expense. Section III gives a case‐based argument describing three upstream structural injustices that systematically advantaged wealthy countries and disadvantaged poorer countries, contributing to global disparities of COVID‐19 vaccines. Section IV examines more closely the duties of justice owed, including a duty to relinquish holdings, restitute victims, and restore relationships. Section V concludes that wealthy nations have a duty of justice to share COVID‐19 vaccines with poor nations and to restore relationships damaged by injustice. All nations should take steps to transform unjust structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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