Episode 40: When There Aren't Enough Ventilators Who Should Get One?
As the Covid-19 pandemic persists around the world, doctors in Europe and now in the United States are facing a shortage of ventilators to treat the acutely ill. Even now, some doctors in the US must determine who gets a ventilator and who doesn’t. This episode of All Things explores the ethics employed to answer this moral dilemma and addresses some of the non-negotiable values for us who follow Christ. While we may find ourselves outside of roles where we can actually make decisions, it’s important that we know how decisions are being made in our hospitals and on what values they are based. The current crisis makes glaringly obvious that our nation values young, healthy lives above those who are aged and disabled. But is this right?
The following resources helped in the formation of this episode:
Reports from doctors in Spain - https://twitter.com/vidproto/status/1242195652404183045
Israeli doctor in Italy: We no longer help those over 60 - https://www.jpost.com/International/Israeli-doctor-in-Italy-We-no-longer-help-those-over-60-621856
13 Deaths in a Day: An ‘Apocalyptic’ Coronavirus Surge at an N.Y.C. Hospital - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/nyregion/nyc-coronavirus-hospitals.html
State health expects ‘shortage’ of ICU beds and a past pandemic plan shows problems - https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/state-health-expects-shortage-of-icu-beds-and-a-past-pandemic-plan-shows-problems/73-e06edc26-0ec4-44df-a788-97abfd200cc9
Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19 - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2005114
‘Chilling’ Plans: Who Gets Care as Washington State Hospitals Fill Up? - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/us/coronavirus-in-seattle-washington-state.html
Age Discrimination and Rationing during the Coronavirus Crisis - https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/age-discrimination-and-rationing-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/
‘I Will Not Apologize for My Needs’ - Even in a crisis, doctors should not abandon the principle of nondiscrimination. - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opinion/coronavirus-ventilators-triage-disability.html?fbclid=IwAR10tT6E9svGdf9wkW2DPrsvYCfg2npG6OlVQPoNkjiCPhGNn82fZlonGWY
‘Last resort’: Alabama’s plan for deciding which coronavirus patients get ventilators - https://www.al.com/news/2020/03/last-resort-alabamas-plan-for-deciding-which-coronavirus-patients-get-ventilators.html
https://albertmohler.com/2020/03/25/briefing-3-25-20
God Doesn’t Want Us to Sacrifice the Old - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/opinion/coronavirus-elderly-vulnerable-religion.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage