Vaccination Ethics Lecture Notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key ethical concepts, legal cases, and Māori principles related to vaccination policy and population health.

State

The government and government agencies that possess legislative and police powers to pass and enforce laws through the use of force.

Public goods

Goods that benefit many and which individuals cannot provide for themselves.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article $12$)

Establishes the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Empirical considerations

Descriptive accounts of how the world is, such as evidence regarding causes and effects.

Ethical considerations

Descriptive accounts of how things should be, involving the analysis of rights and duties.

Right

An entitlement to do something or be in a certain state, which creates claims for the right holder and duties for others.

Liberty

A general state of freedom.

Liberty right

A protected sphere in which an individual can decide how to act for themselves without interference from others.

Coercion

The use of force or threats of force to influence behavior.

Autonomy

Self-determination, or the capacity to make decisions for oneself according to one's own values.

Respect for autonomy

The recognition of the capacity and entitlement of others to make decisions concerning their own lives.

Social compact

The conceptual agreement where citizens empower the state to protect them in exchange for the state's obligation to protect its citizens.

Principle of necessity

The ethical requirement that the use of coercion by the state must be necessary to protect public welfare.

Principle of proportionality

The ethical requirement that the use of coercion must be proportionate to the harm that might otherwise occur.

Harm Principle

The concept, echoed by Justice Harlan and John Stuart Mill, that power can only be rightfully exercised over a member of a civilized community against his will to prevent harm to others.

Variola virus

The causative agent of smallpox, transmitted via airborne droplets of saliva or contact with material from sores.

Smallpox

A highly infectious disease characterized by high fever and sores, which resulted in death in $3$ in $10$ cases and was declared eradicated by the WHO in $1980$.

Right $7$ of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights

The specific right in Aotearoa New Zealand for individuals to make an informed choice and give informed consent regarding health services.

Kotahitanga

A Māori concept signifying unity, togetherness, and collective action.

Solidarity

A commitment to engage in mutual support within a community.