This book proposes an ethical and legal framework to improve the
responses to social issues related not only to the current SARS-CoV-2
pandemic, but also to future pandemics. Its contents cover the issues
that are likely to be most controversial in any public health crisis. It
starts by discussing non-pharmacological measures, such as the
appropriateness of confinement, how to control compliance with public
health measures and the ethical, legal and social acceptability of
health certificates. Then it turns to issues related to the production,
distribution and administration of vaccines, with a particular focus on
the design and implementation of vaccination policies. Finally, it
analyses the most appropriate criteria to develop a triage, when the
situation brings us to this terrible scenario.
The analyses presented in this book are based on the ethical and legal
frameworks, as well as the social context, of the European Union, and
aims to address the main dilemmas faced by any liberal democracy dealing
with a pandemic: how to reconcile the defense against a public health
crisis together with a respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. The
European legal systems have developed a number of conceptual tools
designed to ensure that there is no room for arbitrariness in the
restrictions introduced by the political power in emergency situations,
and this book builds upon these tools.
The Ethical, Legal and Social Issues of Pandemics: An Analysis from the
EU Perspective is a predominantly practice-oriented book, which will
help policy makers to adopt policies that effectively combine public
health needs with individual rights and freedoms. It will also help
health care givers to understand better the ethical and legal issues
involved in their work and citizens, in general, to participate in
public decision making in an informed manner. Finally, it will help to
design tools that faithfully comply with existing fundamental rights
standards.
