Journals
2025 EN
Dresser Rebecca
Abstract People in the bioethics field generally agree that clinicians should have reasonable freedom to practice according to their moral and religious convictions. But this general position leaves room for debate over how much freedom objecting clinicians ought to have. Some commentators contend that exemptions from criminal, civil, and professional consequences for conscientious refusals to provide care impose too many burdens on patients, colleagues, and health care institutions. Others argue that existing protections are insufficient, failing to cover clinicians who are moved to provide legally permitted care to patients in the face of institutional and employment constraints on doing so. A 2024 United States Supreme Court ruling adds another element to the debate, showing how conscience‐law protections can defeat legal efforts to limit access to contested treatments .
Journals
2025 EN
McKee Martin · Pagel Christina · Correia Tiago
ABSTRACT President Trump's 2025 implementation of tariffs has been described as a form of economic warfare. The public health community has long viewed conventional forms of warfare as a determinant of health and developed appropriate responses. In this editorial, we argue that this community must now respond in a similar way to all forms of economic warfare. We describe the ways in which economic warfare is waged, which include tariffs, trade sanctions, currency manipulation, and cyberattacks, and the health consequences that arise from them. Drawing on historical examples like the Opium Wars, we highlight the intertwined nature of economic and military conflicts. We also describe how advances in technology have created new opportunities, such as the exclusion of Russia from the SWIFT payment system. The health consequences are profound, with research indicating declines in life expectancy and disruptions in access to essential medicines and equipment. We argue for a comprehensive public health response, made urgent by the rejection, by the current U.S. administration, of the post‐war international order. We call for use of innovative research methods to assess the health impacts of economic measures, drawing parallels with studies on the health effects of military conflicts and economic crises and advocacy for a proactive public health stance, akin to the efforts of organisations like the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, to make visible the health consequences of economic warfare and help those who seek to hold governments accountable for their actions.
Journals
2025 EN
Mohamed Esraa Mahadi Ali · LuceroPrisno DonEliseo
ABSTRACT Sudan's economy has been greatly affected by the armed conflict through 15 different channels at both micro and macro levels. The requested fund to save live of sudanese population is 2.6 billion US$ from which only 33% was allocated. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has lead to contraction in economy and thus agriculture, health, water supply, education, and bankig which all resulted in increased mortality and morbidity rates, food insecurity, violation in human rights and inflation. There is a rising humanitarian need for assistance, in addition to urgent interventions to stop war and cease fire. International law must be enforced through international organizations, the voice of Sudanese civil society must be coordinated if not united, and several measures must be taken after the conflict resolved to address the impacts of conflict.
Journals
2025 EN
FekihRomdhane Feten · Jebreen Kamel · Nawajah Inad
+9 more
ABSTRACT Background and Aims This study had the main purpose of investigating the psychometric properties of the 9‐item Self‐Report Altruism scale (9‐SRA) in its translated Arabic‐language version among Palestinian HCWs in Gaza during war times. Methods This cross‐sectional study was performed between January 15 and April 15, 2025, among 615 HCWs at several hospitals and primary health care centers in the Gaza Strip. Results Our data adequately fitted this original hypothetical one‐factor model, with excellent internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach's α = 0.92). The assumption of measurement invariance across sex groups of the Arabic version of the 9‐SRA was supported. Empathy scores were significantly and positively correlated with altruism scores. Finally, higher depression and anxiety were significantly associated with lower altruism. Conclusion Our research offers robust evidence in terms of reliability and validity to support the use of the 9‐SRA instrument to evaluate self‐reported altruistic behavior among Arabic‐speaking HCWs, especially in the context of war.
Journals
2025 EN
Nasir Muhammad Ali · Spencer David
Abstract This paper studies the effects of geopolitical risks and uncertainty on real wages. Employing UK data from 2000: Q1 to 2022: Q2 and a partial Nonlinear‐Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) framework, we find that war‐associated geopolitical risks and uncertainty have a statistically significant though mild positive impact on real wages. We find that domestic factors including economic policy uncertainty, productivity, economic growth, unemployment, inflation expectations and unionization play a stronger role in affecting real wages. Our findings suggest that the direct effects of war‐associated geopolitical risks and uncertainty on real wages are temporary. From a policy perspective, the course of real wages will depend more on inflation expectations, productivity and most importantly unionization. We conclude that if real wages in the UK are to rise on a consistent basis then workers and particularly unions will have to gain more bargaining leverage.
Journals
2025 EN
Kocaarslan Baris · Soytas Ugur
Abstract This research aims to understand how certain events, like the global financial crisis, the post‐global financial crisis period, the COVID‐19 pandemic, and the Russia‐Ukraine war, along with changes in the value of the US dollar and uncertainty in gold, currency, and stock markets, affect the uncertainty in oil prices. We are particularly interested in looking at positive and negative changes in these factors when oil price uncertainty is either high or low. To achieve this, we use a quantile regression method, which allows us to analyse different levels of oil price uncertainty effectively. Throughout the whole timeframe we looked at, the initial findings suggest that when there is much uncertainty in the oil market, the US dollar and uncertainty in major markets have a bigger influence on making the oil market more uncertain, compared to times when there is not much uncertainty about oil prices. We also noticed that the impacts of negative and positive changes in the reserve currency, and uncertainties are quite different when crises happen. To cite an example, when there is much uncertainty about oil prices, positive expectations about economic activity (because the reserve currency is weaker) and confidence in the stock market (less worry about a shock in the stock market) have a stronger impact, reducing uncertainty in oil prices during the global financial crisis. On the other hand, more negative effects from pessimistic expectations (due to a stronger US dollar and increased fear of a shock in the stock market) lead to higher oil price uncertainty during the COVID‐19 pandemic. According to what we have discovered in our analysis, policymakers and investors should evaluate how both negative and positive shifts in the reserve currency (US dollar) and uncertainties in gold, currency, and stock markets separately affect the uncertainty in oil prices. It is important to understand that these effects vary depending on the level of uncertainty in oil prices and the direction (positive or negative) and timing of the changes.
Journals
2025 EN
Tan Xue · Shen Zhixuan · Wen Xi
ABSTRACT In the context of the U.S.‐China trade war, this study constructed a corporate trade policy uncertainty index through text analysis and found that rising trade policy uncertainty significantly improves corporate ESG performance. Mechanism analyses show that trade policy uncertainty promotes corporate ESG performance through a risk‐reducing channel, which has increased operational risks and dampened managers' optimistic expectations. Heterogeneity analyses find that the positive effect is more pronounced in target industries subject to tariff escalations of trade wars, non‐state‐owned enterprises and firms with lower foreign shareholdings. Tests of economic consequences show that better ESG performance positively affects market value during periods of high trade policy uncertainty while having little impact on financial performance. We further find that the promoting effect of trade policy uncertainty on ESG performance only persisted for 2 years, indicating that social responsibility activities compelled by export pressures manifest more as a short‐term strategy with insurance value. Our findings support the view that ESG acts as a nonmarket strategy to mitigate negative external shocks.
Journals
2025 EN
Nyakio Olivier · Mukwege Denis · Balagizi Fabien
+12 more
Synopsis Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is also described as a weapon of war.
Journals
2025 EN
Maila Sharol Malekobane · Castelyn Camille · Adam Sumaiya
Abstract Background Female sterilization, a safe, permanent method of contraception that blocks the fallopian tubes, has been in use since the 19th century. The procedure necessitates informed consent, a critical step that has been marred by reports of forced sterilization since World War II. These incidents often stem from inadequate consent processes where ethical principles are overlooked or deliberately flouted. The persistent issue of forced sterilization, primarily attributable to a flawed informed consent process, highlights significant ethical concerns. Objectives This scoping review aimed to identify the ethical challenges associated with the informed consent process for female sterilization, including instances of forced sterilization. Search Strategy The review employed a comprehensive electronic search across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Central, targeting literature published in English between January 2000 and December 2021. The search strategy utilized key terms related to informed consent, ethical issues, and female sterilization, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) methodology for database search and screening. Selection Criteria The search resulted in the inclusion of 55 published articles for this review. Studies were selected if they focused on informed consent for female sterilization and reported on forced or coerced sterilization involving mentally competent women aged 18 years and older. Exclusions were made for studies on women younger than 18 years, those related to emergency procedures, and non–English language publications. Data Collection and Analysis A two‐stage screening process was used to assess the relevance of the identified studies, with independent reviewers evaluating titles, abstracts, and full texts. Data were extracted using a predefined tool, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. The analysis focused on summarizing the ethical issues identified and recommendations for improving the consent process. Main Results The review identified vulnerable populations, particularly women reliant on the state or government for health care, as being at higher risk of forced sterilization. Cases of sterilization without consent, under coercion, sedation, or through inducements/incentives have been reported. Recommendations from international obstetrics and gynecology societies, health organizations, human rights bodies, and local governments have been issued in an attempt to improve the consent process. Notably, the United States implemented a Medicaid consent form in the 1970s, which has yet to be revised, attracting significant criticism for some of its components. Meanwhile, low‐ and middle‐income countries lack standardized tools to address complaints related to this issue. Conclusion This review identifies persistent ethical challenges in the informed consent process for female sterilization globally, with forced sterilization disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. The review underscores the urgent need for the development and implementation of standardized consent tools, with ongoing review, to protect women's autonomy and prevent unethical practices, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries.
Journals
2025 EN
BenKimhy Reut · ErelBrodsky Hilit · Taubman – BenAri Orit
ABSTRACT The COVID‐19 pandemic had widespread socio‐psychological consequences. About 3 years later, on 7 October 2023, a horrific invasion by the Hamas terrorist organisation took place in Israel, leading to a war in Gaza. These two massive emergency events can be classified as disasters, with far‐reaching implications. During both periods, mental health professionals faced shared trauma, thus experiencing the trauma both personally and through the experiences of their patients. In this study, we focus on therapists' experiences, thoughts, and feelings during these emergency events that have befallen Israel. An open‐ended questionnaire was completed by 201 therapists. A thematic analysis was performed, revealing two main categories: differentiation between the events, relating to the essence of each threat as unique; and a continuum, relating to the events by drawing a linear line from the first to the second, integrating their implications into a coherent interpretation. The findings contribute to the increasing awareness of the complexity of therapists' experiences in such difficult situations, highlighting the need to pay attention to professionals' perceptions and feelings during such intense times, while also demonstrating the importance of understanding the differences between disasters and their consequences.