Solidarity is for Other People - Accepted version for SRO and self-archiving.pdf (299.63 kB)
Solidarity is for other people: identifying derelictions of solidarity in responses to COVID-19
The role and importance of solidarity for effective health provision is the subject of lengthy and heated debate which has been thrown into even sharper relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. In various ways, and by various authorities we have all been asked, even instructed, to engage in solidarity with one another in order to collectively respond to the current crisis. Under normal circumstances, individuals can engage in solidarity with their compatriots in the context of public health provision in a number of ways, including paying taxes which fund welfare state initiatives, and avoiding others when ill. While there has been significant engagement in solidarity worldwide, there have also been high profile examples of refusals and failures to engage in solidarity, both by individual agents, and governments. In this paper I examine the consequence of these failures with reference to the actions of the current British government, which has failed to deliver an effective response to the crisis. This failure has effectively devolved responsibility for responding to the crisis to people who are simultaneously more vulnerable to infection, and less able to do anything about it. I argue that such responses represent mismanagement of a public health crisis, and a rejection of important democratic and egalitarian norms and values.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Journal of Medical EthicsISSN
0306-6800Publisher
BMJ Publishing GroupExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
47Page range
65-68Department affiliated with
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2020-07-13First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-07-13First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2020-07-10Usage metrics
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