Medical Ethicists Object to Treatment of Children at U.S. Border

Hundreds of medical ethicists are sounding the alarm over the treatment of migrant children at the U.S. southern border, including current and former members of an advisory panel to HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

A letter circulating online amassed nearly 375 signatures in 24 hours among bioethicists, according to University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Holly Fernandez Lynch.

Bioethicists often focus on protecting from undue harm participants who volunteer for biomedical research. That work usually has nothing to do with border issues, but the ethicists’ expertise equips them with a framework for explaining why the treatment at the border is inappropriate, she said. ...