Advocacy: When migrants are patients

5 Mar 20255 Mar 2025officially ᗩᑎGEᒪIᑎᗩ Leave a comment

Courage in Action: Why Bioethicists Must Advocate for Immigrant Patients

By Adelaida P. Jasperse
Published on March 4, 2025

As an immigrant, a trained bioethicist, and a lawyer, I am intimately familiar with the impact of fear and injustice on immigrant communities. Maya Angelou’s profound words on courage resonate deeply with me: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

Moreover, courageous actions that uphold human rights can lead to increased trust in institutions, as they demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles and moral integrity. This is particularly needed when trust in institutions is at a low point. In the face of adversity, it is precisely the courage to act that distinguishes true leaders from those who are complacent. Bioethicists, by advocating for immigrant communities, can inspire others to follow suit, creating a ripple effect of courage and compassion that can transform institutions and help restore trust in them.

Hannah Arendt’s concept of the banality of evil provides a poignant perspective. Arendt argued that evil often arises not from malicious intentions but from the mundane, everyday actions of ordinary people who follow orders and fail to question unjust systems. In the context of anti-immigrant policies, this concept highlights the importance of bioethicists speaking out against injustice. By advocating for policies that protect immigrant communities, bioethicists are not just addressing a moral imperative; they are also preventing the normalization of unjust policies that would most likely harm vulnerable populations.

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