The Ethics of Meddling in Other People’s Lives

The World Science Forum will be held in Cape Town in December 2021 under the theme of “science for social justice.”

As a precedent, a new documentary examines the ethics of intervening in the lives of others under the lens of South Africa’s go-it-alone ban on tobacco and alcohol sales to tackle Covid-19. Leading medical, policy and civil society experts weigh up the scientific evidence for and against. Taxation, jobs, sectoral interests, religious indoctrination, values and civil liberties all come into play.

Further issues debated include concepts of recent history and subjugation versus today’s democracy and the rule of law. Have fundamental principles of autonomy, human dignity, freedom and equality been forced to give way?

Is the medical profession’s “unconscionable collusion” acceptable? How must lawmakers navigate between the rights and responsibilities of individuals to look after themselves and the rights and responsibilities of states to look after their citizens?

Above all, as this pandemic collides with the known syndemics of tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/Aids, hepatitis etc., the panel argues for the urgent acceptance and application of harm reduction science worldwide.