But the COVID-19 pandemic — which has overturned so many norms and assumptions — is now testing that principle. Quebec plans to impose a financial penalty on unvaccinated people who don't have medical exemptions. As president of the International Association of Bioethics, Ravitsky has seen how the pandemic has tested a longstanding consensus of bioethics. "Usually, bioethics is all about protecting and promoting the right of each patient to make their own decisions," she said. But other patients — the ones now being denied treatment to accommodate the unvaccinated — might have a better chance at survival.

Source: CBC News January 22, 2022 12:57 UTC