When WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was hauled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, some worried about the well being of his cat, but others focused on the treatment of the man himself.
A British judge sentenced Assange to a 50 week prison sentence on Wednesday for skipping bail seven years ago and hiding in the embassy, while he faces extradition to America for prosecution on charges of conspiracy to commit computer hacking.
Medical ethicist Art Caplan told Boston Public Radio Wednesday he may may actually be better off in jail, in terms of medical treatment.
“We do guarantee healthcare to prisoners. It may not be top quality, and there are plenty of gripes it’s not honored, but at least on paper, there’s some protection,” said Caplan. “If you’re holed up in an embassy, you’re hiding out in some diplomatic space, you don’t have any rights. It’s completely up to hosts to decide what to do with you, so oddly, he may have been worse off [at the embassy].”
Caplan discussed other medical headlines, like the ethical concerns of an experiment out of China where researchers implanted human genes into monkeys’ brains to improve cognitive function; whether meat imitation products like the Impossible Burger pose ethical questions for vegetarians; and the news that most states have statutes that invalidate a woman’s request not to be resuscitated if she is pregnant.
Scientists in China have defended their research implanting human genes in monkeys’ brains, which they say sparked improved cognitive function in the monkeys. The experiment has sparked ethics questions and divided the scientific community.
Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. He’s also the co-host of the everyday ethics podcast.
