When evidence has rebutted a medical or scientific thesis, it is not only unethical, but arguably fraudulent and thus unprotected by the First Amendment, to present that thesis as if it were untested or supported. Assigning a high value to the free exchange of ideas is not tantamount to valuing all ideas equally
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Privatization and Prayer: The Case of Charitable Choice
In 1996, as part of comprehensive welfare reform legislation, Congress enacted Section 104 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PWORA). That provision, which has subsequently come to be known as “Charitable Choice” was the first of a number of initiatives which have been heralded as a new approach to delivery of government social services: state contracts with “faith-based organizations,” or FBOs.
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A Just World at Peace
The tension between peace and justice is an enduring one in human history. The goal of civilized societies is to achieve a just peace; that is, to create institutions that allow citizens to settle even their deepest differences without violence or the disenfranchisement of dissenting voices.
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When is Public Private?
There is significant evidence that the growth of contracting, coupled with an unrealistic and narrow understanding of state action, has created a jurisprudence that is, as one scholar has put it, “significantly underprotective of constitutional rights.”
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The Conundrum of Children in the U.S. Health System
Children are routinely excluded from expressing their opinions involving medical decisions that affect them. This article discusses the complex reasons why children’s voices typically are not heard in the US, the consequences of their dis-empowerment, and the ethical obligations of health care providers to advocate for the rights of children even in the absence of a legal mandate to do so.
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