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The Ethics of Public Health DecisionsText Overview

We will read a series of analytical and informational texts, infographics, and argumentative essays on the topic of public health in the United States. The titles, authors, and locations of these texts are indicated in the unit text list. Unit Readers are available through Open Up Resources.

Core

  • Digital Access
    • “Ethical Issues and Vaccines,” The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
    • “Freedom vs. Security: Freedom at Any Cost?,” Harry Shearer and Nigel Warburton, British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4, 2014
    • “Freedom: The Harm Principle,” Harry Shearer and Nigel Warburton, British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4, 2014
    • “Hippocratic Oath / Physician’s Creed,” BurnFree Global, YouTube, 2013
    • “Part 3 — The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and Their Application,” US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Domain, 1979
    • “The Philosophy of Liberty,” Ken Schoolhand, Standard of Freedom, 2014
    • “The Public Good Versus Individual Freedom,” Michael Gerson, Real Clear Politics, 2015
    • “The Vaccine War,” Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, 2015
    • “What Exactly Is the Common Good?,” Duquesne University, YouTube, 2018
  • Unit Reader
    • “2015 Testimony Submitted to the Oregon Legislature RE: SB-442,” Jennifer Margulis, Public Domain, 2015
    • “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Markkula Center, Santa Clara University
    • “California Law to Restrict Medical Vaccine Exemptions Raises Questions over Control,” Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation, 2019
    • “Eager to Limit Exemptions to Vaccination, States Face Staunch Resistance,” Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times Company, 2019
    • “Ethical Dilemmas in Protecting Individual Rights Versus Public Protection in the Case of Infectious Diseases,” Kai-Lit Phua, SAGE Publishing, 2013
    • Excerpt from “The Hippocratic Oath,” Louis Lasagna, Public Domain, 1964
    • Excerpts from “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, 1948
    • “Mandate Vaccination with Care,” Saad B. Omer, Cornelia Betsch, and Julie Leask, Springer Nature Limited, 2019
    • “Measles, Mumps, and Religious Freedom: Mandatory Vaccination and the Limits of Parental Rights,” Christopher O. Tollefson, Public Discourse, 2019
    • “Measles: A Dangerous Illness,” Roald Dahl, Roald Dahl Foundation, 1986
    • “New Media, Old Messages: Themes in the History of Vaccine Hesitancy and Refusal,” Jason Schwartz, AMA Journal of Ethics, 2012
    • “The Belmont Report,” US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Domain, 1979
    • “The Ethics of Opting Out of Vaccination,” Janet Stemwedel, Nature America, Inc., 2013
    • “UN Declaration of Universal Health Coverage,” United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, 2019
    • “Vaccination and Free Will,” Jeffrey A. Singer, Reason Foundation, 2014
    • “What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations?,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Domain, 2018

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “ACLU Statement: SB 277, California Vaccination Bill,” American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union
    • “Counterpoint: Should Childhood Vaccination against Measles Be a Mandatory Requirement for Attending School? No,” Peter Schröder-Bäck and Kyriakos Martakis, Chest Journal, 2015
    • “Defying Parents, a Teen Decides to Get Vaccinated,” Amanda Morris and Scott Simon, National Public Radio
    • “Exploring the Reasons behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines,” Chephra McKee and Kristin Bohannon, The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics
    • “Get Kids Vaccinated or Else, Parents Told,” Nelson Hernandez, The Washington Post
    • “How Mandatory Vaccination Fueled the Anti-Vaxxer Movement,” Linda Poon, CityLab
    • “How Vaccines Work,” The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
    • “Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905),” Justice John Marshall Harlan, United States Supreme Court
    • “Parents Deserve to Have a Choice about Vaccination,” Jennifer Margulis, The New York Times
    • “Point: Should Childhood Vaccination against Measles Be a Mandatory Requirement for Attending School? Yes,” Ross D. Silverman and Kristin S. Hendrix, Chest Journal, 2015
    • “SB-277 Public Health: Vaccinations: Bill Analysis,” California Legislature, California Legislature
    • “The Global Crackdown on Parents Who Refuse Vaccines for Their Kids Has Begun,” Julia Belluz, Vox
    • “The Trolley Problem,” Harry Shearer and Nigel Warburton, British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4, 2014
    • “‘They’re Chipping Away.' Inside the Grassroots Effort to Fight Mandatory Vaccines,” Jeffrey Kluger, TIME

Text Icons

The following text icons are used in the Text pages:

Unit Reader Unit Reader Texts

Digital Access Digital Access Texts

Tradebook Tradebook Texts

Multimedia Multimedia Texts

To find digital access texts on the Internet, complete the following steps:

  1. Locate the reference information for the text (text title, author, date of publication, and publisher) found on the Text page for a unit, section, or lesson.

  2. Highlight and copy the reference information.

  3. Paste the information into a search engine.

  4. The text will appear as one of the first search results.

  5. Verify the result by comparing the reference information on the website to the information on the Text page.