David Ferguson Jr. was denied a heart transplant after declining to take the COVID-19 vaccine, prompting protestors to rally in support. The Boston hospital, Brigham and Women’s, says that this vaccination requirement is standard policy to improve the survival chances of transplant patients, whose immune systems are compromised upon release. But many believe that denying Ferguson’s transplant violates medical ethics and reduces his life to a pawn in a political battle between anti-vaxxers and medical experts. Dr. Arthur Caplan – author & professor of Bioethics at NYU – joins Ask Dr. Drew to discuss the ethical questions surrounding Ferguson’s case.

Dr. Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center and the founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics. Dr. Caplan is the author or editor of thirty-five books and more than 800 papers in peer reviewed journals. His most recent books are “Vaccination Ethics” and “Policy and Getting to Good: Research Integrity in Biomedicine.”

Follow Dr. Caplan: https://twitter.com/arthurcaplan 

[This episode originally aired on Feb 10, 2022. Watch the video from this episode at drdrew.com]

Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation ( https://kalebnation.com) and Susan Pinsky (https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOfLove).

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THE SHOW: For over 30 years, Dr. Drew Pinsky has taken calls from all corners of the globe, answering thousands of questions from teens and young adults. To millions, he is a beacon of truth, integrity, fairness, and common sense. Now, after decades of hosting Loveline and multiple hit TV shows – including Celebrity Rehab, Teen Mom OG, Lifechangers, and more – Dr. Drew is opening his phone lines to the world by streaming LIVE from his home studio in California. On Ask Dr. Drew, no question is too extreme or embarrassing because the Dr. has heard it all. Don’t hold in your deepest, darkest questions any longer. Ask Dr. Drew and get real answers today.

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