Public Health as a Constitutional Principle.

IF 2 3区哲学 Q2 ETHICS

Public Health Ethics Pub Date : 2025-07-10 eCollection Date: 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1093/phe/phaf007

Alvin Chen

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Public health is commonly regarded as a branch of public policy. While few governments would dispute that public health should be a core responsibility of the state, in practice, it is frequently reduced to a branch of administration, in competition with other branches over annual budget distributions and policy priority. This paper advances the argument that the state should prioritize public health for one crucial reason: public health is a normative principle that constitutes the modern state. As a constitutional principle, it demands the state to promote and preserve public health. The paper examines first what makes public health a normative principle, and then examines why it is a normative principle that makes demands on the state. In so doing, the paper distinguishes public health as a constitutional principle from the constitutional right to health. The paper concludes with a reflection on the urgency to prioritize public health, not merely because of policy needs, but on the ground that it is a foundational normative principle of the modern state.

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公共卫生作为一项宪法原则。

公共卫生通常被认为是公共政策的一个分支。虽然很少有政府会质疑公共卫生应该是国家的核心责任，但在实践中，它经常被缩减为一个行政部门，与其他部门就年度预算分配和政策优先事项展开竞争。本文提出了国家应该优先考虑公共卫生的一个关键原因：公共卫生是构成现代国家的规范性原则。作为一项宪法原则，它要求国家促进和维护公众健康。本文首先考察了是什么使公共卫生成为一项规范性原则，然后考察了为什么它是一项对国家提出要求的规范性原则。在这样做时，该文件将公共卫生作为一项宪法原则与宪法规定的健康权区分开来。本文最后反思了优先考虑公共卫生的紧迫性，这不仅仅是因为政策需要，而是因为它是现代国家的基本规范原则。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Health Ethics PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-MEDICAL ETHICS

CiteScore

3.10

自引率

9.50%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Public Health Ethics invites submission of papers on any topic that is relevant for ethical reflection about public health practice and theory. Our aim is to publish readable papers of high scientific quality which will stimulate debate and discussion about ethical issues relating to all aspects of public health. Our main criteria for grading manuscripts include originality and potential impact, quality of philosophical analysis, and relevance to debates in public health ethics and practice. Manuscripts are accepted for publication on the understanding that they have been submitted solely to Public Health Ethics and that they have not been previously published either in whole or in part. Authors may not submit papers that are under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if an author decides to offer a submitted paper to another journal, the paper must be withdrawn from Public Health Ethics before the new submission is made. The editorial office will make every effort to deal with submissions to the journal as quickly as possible. All papers will be acknowledged on receipt by email and will receive preliminary editorial review within 2 weeks. Papers of high interest will be sent out for external review. Authors will normally be notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision within 8 weeks of submission. Contributors will be provided with electronic access to their proof via email; corrections should be returned within 48 hours.