Vulnerabilities and Institutional Barriers in Clinical and Public Health Contexts

Identifying vulnerable persons and groups has moral and practical import in clinical and public health contexts. Vulnerable individuals are generally at the receiving end of historical and material injustices, and bioethical guidelines call for extra protections of vulnerable persons so as to protect them from exploitation, coercion, and additional harms. However, pinpointing a helpful notion of vulnerability that can be applied consistently and narrowly has proven difficult. Furthermore, there are concerns that the concept of vulnerability ultimately stereotypes groups and overlooks crucial distinctions among individuals that need to be taken into account