Lesson 2

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Excerpts from “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, 1948
  • “UN Declaration of Universal Health Coverage,” United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, 2019

Materials

Tools

• The Ethics of Public Health Decisions: Subtopic 3 Supplemental Texts Handout

• Vocabulary Journal

Reference Guides

• Annotating and Note-Taking Reference Guide
• Questioning Reference Guide

Question Sets

• The Ethics of Public Health Decisions: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• The Ethics of Public Health Decisions: Section 3 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

To continue our exploration of other ethical issues in the realm of public health and vaccinations, we will consider Subtopic 3: Access to Public Health Resources.

As a class, discuss Subtopic 3: Access to Healthcare Resources. Consider its associated question:

• Access to Public Health Resources: How should we address issues of unequal access to public health resources, healthcare, and preventative measures such as vaccines?

Based on what you have learned so far and current healthcare issues, brainstorm a list of possible issues and topics related to access to health that might be pursued through further research.

Note that once a vaccine or other response to infectious diseases has been developed, it might not be equally available to all people in the US, and certainly not in the world. Discuss some of the potential ethical issues and problems involved in the disparity of equal access to public health resources, healthcare, and preventative measures such as vaccines.

Discuss current issues and debates within US society and politics regarding universal healthcare and equal access to health resources.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read and discuss excerpts from a seminal UN document that addresses ethical issues associated with human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Individually, read through the excerpts from the preamble and relevant articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, annotating the document for key words, phrases, and ideas related to the following questions:

1. What stipulations in the declaration relate to the health and welfare of all humans?

2. What stipulations in the declaration relate to ensuring the common good of all people in the world?

3. What stipulations in the declaration relate to protecting the individual rights and personal liberty of all people in the world?

As a class, discuss your responses to these questions, citing specific words and phrases in the declaration that you have individually identified.

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read and discuss selected excerpts from the 2019 UN Resolution 74/2.

Step 1

Individually, read an excerpt from the 2019 UN Declaration on Universal Health Coverage found under the heading: Universal Health Coverage: Moving Together to Build a Healthier World.

Interpret and paraphrase the following statement from the declaration:

Health is a precondition for and an outcome and indicator of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

1. What does the declaration recommit to achieve?

As a class, discuss what this declaration’s commitment means in terms of current issues and debates about healthcare and access in the US. Discuss implications for healthcare and access in the world.

Step 2

As a class, read and discuss provision 12, considering the following question:

2. What are the five listed reasons why action to achieve universal health coverage by 2030 is inadequate? Summarize the evidence presented in a-e.

Read and discuss provision 19, considering the following question:

3. What are the two reasons for the disproportionate allocation of public and external health funds worldwide? Summarize the evidence presented in a and b.

Step 3

Individually, read and annotate the text for one of the following provisions of the declaration, which may be assigned to you: 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, or 23. Summarize what the provision asserts.

As a class, review and discuss your summaries of these provisions, and their implications for equal access to health resources.

Review and discuss the commitments of the declaration presented in provisions 24, 31, 49, 65, and any others deemed relevant to current issues in public healthcare.

Develop a set of conclusions about the implications of this 2019 declaration and its relationship to Subtopic 3.

Activity 4: Discuss

As a class, we will discuss how these two seminal UN documents relate to other ethical approaches and seminal documents we have studied, and how their principles are relevant to public health and controversies while ensuring equal access to health Resources such as vaccines.

As a class, discuss the context for healthcare issues, controversies, and decisions created by the two UN declarations.

Connect their provisions and stipulations to the unit’s Central Question:

How do we balance the common good with individual rights and personal liberty?

Return to Subtopic 3: Access to Healthcare Resources:

1. Access to Public Health Resources: How should we address issues of unequal access to public health resources, healthcare, and preventative measures such as vaccines?

Discuss how the two UN declarations are foundational documents in this subtopic, and how they might relate to other texts in the research set for that subtopic.

Activity 5: Read – Write

For homework, explore one or more of the texts listed in the Subtopic 3 supplemental text handout to determine if you are interested in further reading and research in this area.

For homework, access the Subtopic 3 Supplemental Text Handout. Skim the list of texts, looking for one that might provide an interesting entry into further research. Use the information in the handout to access an online version of the text. As you read through it, identify one or more key takeaways that you can share with other students.

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.