Intersectional Lenses of DEI: Bioethicists' Duty to Advocate

Authors

  • Jillian Boerstler School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
  • Nanette Elster Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics & Healthcare Leadership, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, United States
  • Kayhan Parsi Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics & Healthcare Leadership, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2221-925X
  • Bryan Pilkington Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9373-8300

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7202/1122840ar

Keywords:

equity, justice, clinical bioethicists, DEI, code of ethics, intersectionality, duty

Language(s):

English

Abstract

Building on the historical foundation of bioethics, we argue that bioethicists, with inherently interdisciplinary approaches and backgrounds, are well positioned to promote Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the healthcare setting through the practice of clinical ethics. In the current cultural and political climate, bioethicists cannot remain silent while staying true to the tenets of the field. Provisions in the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Code of Ethics and the lived experience of Canadian bioethicists offer relevant guidance. We argue that competence in clinical ethics obliges bioethicists to identify and seek to remove systemic barriers facing those whom clinical ethicists are privileged to serve. By adopting an intersectional approach to clinical bioethics, bioethicists can become advocates for the promotion of just healthcare.

References

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© Han Han Li

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Published

2026-01-20

How to Cite

[1]
Boerstler J, Elster N, Parsi K, Pilkington B. Intersectional Lenses of DEI: Bioethicists’ Duty to Advocate. Can. J. Bioeth 2026;9:14-6. https://doi.org/10.7202/1122840ar.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): Advocates, Activists, Architects of Moral Space?

Section

Perspectives

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Jillian Boerstler, Nanette Elster, Kayhan Parsi, Bryan Pilkington

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Canadian Journal of Bioethics applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License to all its publications. Authors therefore retain copyright of their publication, e.g., they can reuse their publication, link to it on their home page or institutional website, deposit a PDF in a public repository. However, the authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, distribute, and/or copy their publication, so long as the original authors and source are cited.