Category: Hannah Rahim

figurine with a void shape of a child and family of parents with a child. Surrogacy concept.

Regulating International Commercial Surrogacy

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By Hannah Rahim

In January 2024, Pope Francis called for a universal ban on surrogacy as a threat to global peace and human dignity, claiming that the practice is a “grave violation” of the mother and child’s dignity and based on the “exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs.” Surrogacy raises complex ethical and legal issues, particularly in cases of international surrogacy, where people seek surrogacy services from another country. There is currently no regulation of international surrogacy. Creating such regulation is important to allow appropriate access to surrogacy services while mitigating its harmful consequences.

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Designer Babies? The Ethical and Regulatory Implications of Polygenic Embryo Screening

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By Hannah Rahim

New technologies are increasing the accessibility of polygenic embryo screening, which can assess the likelihood of an embryo developing polygenic diseases (e.g., diabetes, schizophrenia) or provide insight into certain polygenic traits (e.g., height, intelligence). This procedure has many complex clinical, social, and ethical implications, but is currently unregulated in the U.S.

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Food is Medicine Approaches to Address Diet-Related Health Conditions

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By Hannah Rahim

Food is Medicine interventions aim to prevent and treat diet-related chronic health conditions and reduce food insecurity by providing food to individuals and communities, in connection with the health care system. While Food is Medicine has been gaining prominence in recent years, it has also received some criticism. This article will explore the development of Food is Medicine and its limitations, and briefly offer recommendations for successful Food is Medicine initiatives.

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Applying Luck Egalitarianism to Health Resource Allocation

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By Hannah Rahim

Luck egalitarianism is a theory of political philosophy that provides that inequalities resulting from an individual’s informed choices are just and need not be reduced, whereas inequalities resulting from circumstances over which an individual has no control are unjust and should be reduced. The application of luck egalitarianism to health inequalities has some value when allocating health care resources, but it often conceptualizes health too narrowly and risks exacerbating existing unjust disparities. If luck egalitarianism is to be applied in developing health care policy, it must only be used in clearly defined circumstances and with a holistic approach.

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Does the ADA Protect People with Substance Use Disorder from Health Care Discrimination?

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By Hannah Rahim

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits health care organizations that provide services to the public from discriminating against persons with disabilities. Although substance use disorder can be a disability under the ADA, there are limitations in the scope and enforcement of these ADA protections. Further action is needed to prevent discrimination in health care services towards persons with substance use disorder.

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Addressing Ghost Networks in Mental Health Care

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By Hannah Rahim

Many mental health provider directories for private and public insurance plans contain inaccurate or outdated provider information, which creates a misleading illusion of accessible care. These ghost networks result in many patients being unable to access essential mental health care. To tackle this issue, federal and state governments should strengthen the regulation of insurance networks and insurers should address underlying causes of inadequate networks.

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Organ Transplant Candidates Who Use Medical Cannabis Face Discrimination

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By Hannah Rahim

Medical cannabis users in the U.S. face discrimination in seeking health care services, including restrictions against obtaining solid organ transplants.

Considering growing evidence that medical cannabis (which is legal in 38 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia) does not compromise post-transplant health outcomes, policymakers should rethink the use of cannabis consumption as a contraindicator to transplantation and should adopt legal protections to prevent undue discrimination towards medical cannabis users.

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The Constitutionality of Banning Interstate Travel for Abortion

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By Hannah Rahim

After the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutionally protected right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, right-wing states have begun enacting abortion bans and discussing the possibility of restricting interstate travel for abortion.

Although there is a general presumption against a state’s ability to regulate extraterritorially (i.e., beyond its borders), legal authority suggests that the Constitution does not clearly prohibit a state from regulating abortion travel.

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