Bioethicists Can and Should Contribute to Addressing Racism

Abstract

The problems of racism and racially-motivated violence in predominantly African American communities in the US are complex, multifactorial and historically rooted. While these problems are also deeply morally troubling, bioethicists have not contributed substantially to addressing them. Concern for justice has been one of the core commitments of bioethics. For this and other reasons, bioethicists should contribute to addressing these problems. We consider how bioethicists can offer meaningful contributions to the public discourse, research, teaching, training, policy development and academic scholarship in response to the alarming and persistent patterns of racism and implicit biases associated with it. To make any useful contribution, bioethicists will require preparation and should expect to play a significant role through collaborative action with others.

The Unbearable Whiteness of Bioethics: Exhorting Bioethicists to Address Racism

“…Danis, White, and Wilson (2016) claim that a concern for social justice is at the heart of our enterprise. Indeed, Beauchamp and Childress elevate justice in its importance in their estimable Principles of Biomedical Ethics ("Policies of just access to health care .…”

“…A deeper historical analysis undercuts the "bad apple" theory; we are all complicit in broader structures that maintain and reinforce racist structures and practices. So kudos to Danis, Wilson, and White (2016) for highlighting the history behind our structural racism. What we see today are not random events, nor the result of a few "bad apples," but rather reflect a deeply racist history in this country that was reinforced by the laws and social structures that existed for centuries.…”

“…Someone who believes all the bad things that happen in the world stem from accidents" [Farmer 2004, 7]). Danis, Wilson, and White (2016) do the bioethics community a great service by highlighting the lengthy history of structural racism in the United States and its lasting and pernicious effect on the present day. Such a historical analysis belies the initial assertions of Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, who claimed that the officer who killed Laquan McDonald was simply a "bad apple" (he later reversed his view).…”

“…dwarf in social importance every other issue considered in this book" [Beauchamp and Childress 2012, 293]). Danis, White, and Wilson (2016) go on to argue that our skills in scholarship and philosophical analysis, ethics consultation, teaching, policy, empirical research, outreach, and training can contribute to better addressing racism and racist violence. Of course, many of these skills are not unique to bioethicists-many academics share skills in scholarship, teaching, and empirical research.…”

“…Our schools are de facto segregated based on where families live (as Danis, Wilson and White [2016] point out, "In some areas, there is more segregation than during the Jim Crow era" [4]). One's ZIP code has a profound impact upon health outcomes.…”