Presidential Immigration Policies Endangering Health and Well-being?

Since assuming office, President Trump has issued a series of executive orders transforming United States immigration policy. From building a border wall to banning entry to the US based on nationality, these executive orders are likely to profoundly impact health and wellbeing. Are these actions legal, ethical, and what are the likely effects on US health care? The implications of the proposed expansion of the border wall between Mexico and the US, new rules on deportation and detention, and the proposed ban on immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries are discussed. These actions run contrary to available evidence on protecting the US from terrorism, and may violate constitutional protections and US commitments under international law. Likely health effects fostering an environment based on fear in immigrant communities and undermining recruitment of vital foreign health workers to the US. Immigrants may be discouraged from accessing benefits and services for fear of being targeted by officials, which may jeopardize both individual and public health, such as through eroding herd immunity

Childhood Obesity and the Right to Health

Childhood obesity is now a global health epidemic, yet the obligations of states to prevent obesity through fulfillment of the right to health have received limited consideration. This article examines the childhood obesity recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (the committee on the CRC), the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, and the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. It suggests how their engagement might be strengthened. It concludes that the final report of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity could provide the committee on the CRC with a more systematic basis for advising and assessing preventive measures taken by states. Moreover, while the interim report envisages a central role for states in childhood obesity prevention, it pays inadequate attention to their obligations under international human rights law. It is hoped that this will be remedied in the final report through the adoption of a child-centered approach inspired by the rights to health and play, and the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Lurching from complacency to panic in the fight against dangerous microbes:a blueprint for a common secure future

Despite the clear lessons of history - most recently the West African Ebola Epidemic - the international community systematically underestimates the urgent global health hazards posed by emerging infectious diseases. Indeed, looming challenges – namely, rising populations, urbanization, mass migration, rapid travel and trade, climate change, weak states and ethno-nationalism – render pandemic preparedness more acute than ever before. This article details the urgent threats to global health security and argues that the international community must learn from previous outbreaks and urgently invest in preparedness. The article offers a blueprint for a more secure future from pathogenic threats facing humankind. We argue that states must pivot from the existing reactive approach to one of preparedness. What would it take to create a decidedly more secure world? What steps must we put in place to bolster defenses against infectious diseases? What are the political, financial, and regulatory obstacles standing in the way? We contend that global health security requires economic investment, strong international institutions led by an empowered World Health Organization, resilient national health systems, targeted research and development, and effective communication with affected populations. We detail recent reforms of the WHO and emergency response within the UN system. Ultimately, future action must be guided by cooperative action, shared responsibility, equity and fairness, and respect for global health norms. Through a modest security dividend, states could ensure far greater health security. Yet, notwithstanding promising initiatives, the current political climate of ethno-nationalistic populism risks undercutting global solidarity and destabilizing global action against fast moving epidemics

The genetic discrimination observatory : confronting novel issues in genetic discrimination

Genetic discrimination (GD) is the differential or unfair profiling of an individual on the basis of genetic data. This article summarizes the actions of the Genetic Discrimination Observatory (GDO) in addressing GD and recent developments in GD since late 2020. It shows how GD can take many forms in today’s rapidly evolving society.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/trends-in-geneticshj2022Immunolog

Deviating from the Norm? The Pregnant Body in Scandinavian Health Law

This article explores how the political ideal of data interacts with the legal entitlement of autonomy in the care of pregnant people guided by feminist theory and critical approaches to data. Using Scandinavian legislation and administrative practice, it analyses how the presence or absence of data, namely scientific evidence, interacts with pregnant people’s legal autonomy in healthcare. Data –particularly scientific evidence - is shown as something that is not neutral but open to interpretation and misappropriation. First, administrative complaints illustrate that not only a lack of scientific studies on pregnant people but also patriarchal attitudes have implications for care. Second, Scandinavian legislation authorizes the involuntary detention of pregnant drug users despite an absence of evidence supporting such drastic actions. Third, complaints bodies are found to frame injury to pregnant bodies as a natural consequence of birth, despite clear evidence as to the duties of healthcare professionals in preventing harm. A relational approach that sees the pregnant body and fetus as integrated though quintessentially unequal is needed. Evidence is not the only answer; an approach that recognizes the dignity of pregnant people must be central. This requires eliminating coercion, recognizing the pregnant patient as the decision maker in healthcare choices and prizing the birthing patient’s voice as a valuable data source