Ethical Dilemmas in Developing a Vaccine to Prevent COVID-19: The Perspective of Jewish Ethics

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and there was a worldwide race to find an effective drug and/or vaccine. I present the Jewish ethical approach to two quandaries facing researchers: What is the acceptable degree of risk to the sick and to the healthy volunteers who participate in tests of an experimental vaccine? Is it permissible for a healthy person to volunteer for clinical trials? My conclusions are that a higher degree of risk is permissible in life-threatening situations, and it is right and proper that healthy people may volunteer even it involves exposing themselves to danger.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)416-427
Number of pages12
JournalTheology and Science
Volume20
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Jewish medical ethics
  • clinical trials
  • vaccine

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Religious studies
  • History and Philosophy of Science

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