Why has Bioethics been obviated in the pandemic?

Abstract

Bioethics applied to clinical practice is the art of choosing the best option in a given scenario. Any decision which is not optimal is an intrinsically poor one. We are faced by the eternal moral dilemma: how one’s sense of duty determines the most suitable path to follow, taking into account both factual evidence and values. We are moral agents and we have a responsibility in this respect. In any situation, there is always a propitious or timely moment to act (Kairos) and we must know how to make the most of it. The current pandemic has not impacted everyone equally; the most severely affected are senior citizens, and clinically vulnerable people with pre-existing medical conditions or of low socioeconomic status. The lonely death of thousands of people is a tragedy that raises questions about supposedly humanized medicine and about the need to provide care while or even instead of healing. More than ever, now is the moment to carry out a profound, honest reflection which may enable us to admit possible errors and endeavour to rectify them.