Morgan Stanley announced earlier this week that workers would be required to return to the office by September or else be fired. I want to examine that requirement and the requirement for hospital workers to return to work with proof of vaccination. I have been blessed to have been taught bioethics by Dr. Art Caplan regarded by many as the best bioethicist in the world for one simple reason. If you have been reading my blogs you know that I feel that there is a big disconnect between Smart Street (the ivory tower of the university) and Main Street. Art has the ability to translate complex issues into language that can be assimilated by ordinary people. That’s why CNN and other news agencies have hired him as their spokesperson on bioethics. I will channel some of his thinking as well as my own thoughts on bioethics issues that I taught in my ethics class. I will not use much statistical information as you can drown in that on this issue.
There are two models that we need to consider regarding the bioethics of getting the vaccine and requirements to return to work. The first is beneficence vs. autonomy. Beneficence refers to the greatest good for the greatest number, and autonomy refers to the right of a person to make their own personal ethical decisions. This second model is also used when debating abortion and hearing the argument that the woman should have control over her own body. Which of these two models do you see as primary? I will choose beneficence.
What is the essence of the resistance? Women fear that it will cause infertility or complications in pregnancy. Some feel that they don’t need it because they have already been exposed and never became ill. Black people remember the Tuskegee experiments where treatment was withheld from black men who were given syphilis to see how people progressed through the illness. This was supported by our government. Roman Catholics fear there are fetal cells in vaccines. There are not. Propaganda has hindered vaccine acceptance. But there is a third model that you have to consider regarding taking the vaccine. In bioethics it is referred to as short term vs. long term consequences. The short term prevents the illness now but long- term consequences haven’t been addressed because we are in the midst of the illness. I would vote for the short-term effect and the scientific belief that it is safe for the long-term. There is a saying in bioethics that “perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the good.” There has been a fraction of people in general who have taken the vaccine and become ill. Don’t have those few people dictate decision making.
Trump loves the grandiose. Let’s call the search for a vaccine “Operation Warp Speed”. Warp Speed to some means done quickly without thought. Does that characterize the way Trump operates? You betcha!
Let’s look at the bioethics of requiring hospital workers to get vaccinated. This was the standard for other vaccine administration. You have a responsibility for your patients. The same is true for teachers. This falls under a compelling argument known as the “duty effort.” There are many other professions where people’s actions are determined by a sense of duty. Think medical workers, police, and first responders as examples. Not every soldier likes their assignments but they are duty based to accomplish the tasks that they are called to do. For medical people, it would be the Hippocratic Oath. “First do no harm.”
Let’s examine the social justice issues. Fox News, the state of Florida, and others are against Critical Race Theory. Let’s look at racism and vaccinations. This is Main Street stuff. Examine the percentage of people of color who have died from Covid-19 and those who are white. Just look at who has access to the vaccine and who doesn’t. it’s hard numbers. No theory. How many of you have heard about Dr. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Corbett who was one of the lead researchers in discovering the breakthrough mechanisms in creating the vaccine? You haven’t heard of her? Of course not, she is black! That’s real. It’s not a theory. I will bet you my Aunt Nellie’s pajamas that you will never hear her name on Fox News.
If there is anything positive regarding the virus, it is the hard numbers that prove the lack of access for people of color to getting the vaccine. It’s not theory. It’s staggering percentages.
Back to Morgan Stanley’s requirement of vaccination for employees. BEFORE it was a requirement, 90-95% of their employees were vaccinated. Yo people, you know that huge gap between the rich and the poor. Get that number out there. You think they are going to not know the real deal. It is a time for Nudge Theory. Nudge them with that Morgan Stanley percentage. Now is your chance to GET what they have. By the way, the announcement about returning to work did not provide enough context. Morgan Stanley has a large number of employees in India. They will be flexible, but if you think you will earn New York wages living in a cabin in Colorado with the internet, you are crazy. That is the issue that will nudge the rest of the employees back. They will be required to be in New York, and if you can go to a restaurant in New York, you can come to work! Morgan Stanley isn’t going to pay people differently with a “cost of living” factor. End of conversation.
I hope that the Biden Administration takes seriously an idea that Dr. Art Caplan has for global social justice issues and vaccinations. Forget the rules on intellectual property this one time and give the recipe for vaccine formation to anyone. Just because you have the recipe, you are not going to be able to make the vaccine, if you don’t have the equipment in the “kitchen.” Each wealthy country and big pharma should partner with a poor nation and build the vaccine factories that will be needed. Like climate change we will rise or die as one world. Don’t feel bad for big pharma. They have already gotten a hefty payback. What a great way for big pharma to give back! This is real world action. Yo, Smart Street! You heard it first here! You heard it as well in the vaccination buy in from the workers on Wall Street. Pay attention “have nots”. Pay attention to what those guys are doing! Now is your shot! In the words of the musical, Hamilton, you have your new mantra, “I’m not going’ to miss my shot!”
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