The Hastings Center: Should we enroll our child in a COVID-19 vaccine trial?
UC professor and Cincinnati Children's ethicist tackles a weighty topic as the pandemic continues
Elizabeth Lanphier, PhD, an assistant professor in the UC Department of Pediatrics, is also a clinical ethics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. As part of an opinion piece Lanphier discusses her own family’s choices in deciding whether to enroll a child in Pfizer’s clinical trial which is recruiting 5-to-11 year olds.
Elizabeth Lanphier, PhD.
“As a clinical ethicist I am engaged in weighing risks and benefits of medical decisions,” writes Lanphier. “Yet when it comes to doing this for my child and family, it’s complicated. Risks and benefits of Covid-19 vaccine trials are multi-faced, sometimes uncertain, and difficult to quantify.
Let’s start with what is clear. In my family, the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination far outweigh the known risks. My spouse and I were vaccinated when eligible.”
Read the full opinion piece penned by Elizabeth Lanphier, PhD, online.
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