07.05.2020
How the triage rules compound historical injustices against Black communities in the USA
Blog article by Dr. Wulf Loh and Laura Schelenz
While ethical questions about the fairness of triage situations have surfaced during the Coronavirus pandemic, an important aspect is often overlooked: Historical inequalities and structural discrimination have left some groups significantly under-resourced to tackle the health crisis, and, in many instances, they are more likely to contract and fall seriously ill from the virus. As a result, some of those groups have a higher likelihood to be subjected to triage decisions. This raises the question whether the triage rules are “compounding” (Hellman 2018) prior injustices – and thereby may be fair but unjust.