Topic: Pandemics

Resources in this topic

NICE Guideline on Critical Care in Adults: An Ethical Analysis

NICE Guideline on Critical Care in Adults: An Ethical Analysis

ABN Papers

February 11, 2026

Introduction This paper takes as its focus a guideline produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the national advisory body for rationing health and social care in England. It should be read together with the first COVID-19 Briefing Paper of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Resource allocation and ventilators: A statement of

Public Mental Health and the Ethics of COVID-19 Lockdowns

Public Mental Health and the Ethics of COVID-19 Lockdowns

ABN Papers

February 11, 2026

Introduction Since the advent of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, mental health has emerged as a major talking point in the media. Pandemics are a time of heightened anxiety for the population at large, [1] and this anxiety is also fuelled partly by the relentlessness of media cycles, and exacerbated by the rapid spread of false, often alarming

Resource Allocation and Ventilators: A Statement of Catholic Principles

Resource Allocation and Ventilators: A Statement of Catholic Principles

ABN Papers

February 11, 2026

Introduction What does the Catholic tradition say about the allocation of healthcare resources during a pandemic? More specifically, in the context of the current pandemic, what does the Catholic tradition have to say about the provision of ventilation for patients with COVID-19? The governing principle of medical ethics, as understood within the Catholic tradition, is

Care Homes and Older Members of the Community

Care Homes and Older Members of the Community

ABN Papers

February 11, 2026

Introduction What does the Catholic tradition say about caring for older members of the community? [1] Do we have a special responsibility to provide for the needs of older people during a pandemic? It is now increasingly clear that many of the deaths in the current COVID-19 crisis have occurred in aged care facilities. [2] Aged care homes around