The Human Right to Health

by Wolff, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780393063356
• ISBN10: 0393063356
• Edition: 00
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

Few topics in human rights have inspired as much debate as the right to health. Proponents would enshrine it as a fundamental right on a par with freedom of speech and freedom from torture. Detractors suggest that the movement constitutes an impractical over-reach. Jonathan Wolff cuts through the ideological stalemate to explore both views. In an accessible, persuasive voice, he explores the philosophical underpinnings of the idea of a human right, assesses whether health meets those criteria, and identifies the political and cultural realities we face in attempts to improve the health of citizens in wildly different regions. Wolff ultimately finds that there is a path forward for proponents of the right to health, but to succeed they must embrace certain intellectual and practical changes. The Human Right to Health is a powerful and important contribution to the discourse on global health.

Author Biography

Jonathan Wolff provides a balanced and shrewd examination of the human right to health and reveals what we must do to make it a global reality.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Human Right to Health Dilemma	p. xiii
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights	p. 1
Background	p. 1
Declarations, Covenants, and Constitutions	p. 5
Progressive Realization and Core Obligations	p. 9
The Human Right to Health and Its Critics	p. 13
Rights, Humanitarianism, and Power	p. 13
Rights and Human Rights	p. 16
Philosophical ChaUenges	p. 18
General Comment 14	p. 27
The Human Right to Health in Practice	p. 35
HIV/AIDS and the Human Right to Health	p. 39
The Awakening of the Human Right to Health	p. 39
HIV/AIDS Discovery and Response	p. 41
Access to Treatment	p. 53
HIV/AIDS and Haitians in the United States	p. 59
The Global Spread of HIV/AIDS: Africa	p. 67
The Hidden Cost of Treating HIV/AIDS	p. 85
Conclusion	p. 86
Problems and Prospects	p. 92
The World Bank and Health Systems	p. 94
TRIPS and the Price of Medicines	p. 100
The Health Brain Drain	p. 108
Research Ethics	p. 114
Maternal Mortality and Newborn Survival	p. 123
Conclusion	p. 128
Where Next?	p. 130
Emerging Campaigns	p. 130
Governance and Activism	p. 132
Conclusion	p. 137
Notes	p. 141
Further Reading	p. 161
Bibliography	p. 165
Acknowledgment	p. 179
Index	p. 181
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