The Shibboleth of Human Rights in Public Health

Authors

Lawrence O. Gostin, Georgetown University - Law Center - O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health LawFollow
Tamira Daniely, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hanna E. Huffstetler, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Caitlin R. Williams, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Benjamin Mason Meier, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-19-2020

DOI

10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30182-1

Abstract

Human rights discourse has greatly influenced advocacy for justice in public health. Yet, beyond rhetorical claims, how can we employ human rights to achieve the aspiration of health with justice? Without human rights education to support public health practice, human rights have become a shibboleth of public health—raised frequently to signal devotion to justice, but employed rarely in policy, programming, or practice. As advocates respond to the public health injustices of populist nationalism during an unprecedented pandemic, human rights education must be an essential foundation to hold governments accountable for implementing rights to safeguard public health.

Publication Citation

Lancet Public Health, published online, August 19, 2020, at 1-2.

Scholarly Commons Citation

Gostin, Lawrence O.; Daniely, Tamira; Huffstetler, Hanna E.; Williams, Caitlin R.; and Meier, Benjamin Mason, "The Shibboleth of Human Rights in Public Health" (2020). Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2306.
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2306