A reparatory account of health inequities

Thomson, M

A reparatory account of health inequities

Thomson, M

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Publisher:: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Medical Law Review, 2025, 33, (1)
Issue Date:: 2025-01-04

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Thomson, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1570-2481
dc.date.accessioned	2025-01-07T04:38:38Z
dc.date.available	2025-01-07T04:38:38Z
dc.date.issued	2025-01-04
dc.identifier.citation	Medical Law Review, 2025, 33, (1)
dc.identifier.issn	1464-3790
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183085
dc.description.abstract	<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Colonialism has left biological and social legacies that damage health. The resulting racialized health inequities re-enact past harms and are a profound social injustice. In response, this article brings together reparatory justice and health equity. Understandings of reparatory justice have evolved from a focus on compensation for past wrongs to the need for a more sustained and expansive politics of repair. This seeks to recognize the history and legacies of harm while diminishing the likelihood that such harms are repeated. Addressing racialized health inequities in the UK, and working with this articulation of reparatory justice, this article argues for the repair of bodies that continue to be damaged by historically rooted harms. Social determinants of health research has long linked socio-economic inequalities to poor health outcomes, and promoting health equity by addressing these inequalities can be an important element of the work to repair the past. This response acknowledges the moral case for both reparatory justice and health equity, while potentially addressing problems faced by traditionally articulated reparatory claims. Finally, exploring law’s role in addressing racialized health inequities can help us better understand how law is a determinant of health and its role in advancing health equity.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Oxford University Press (OUP)
dc.relation.ispartof	Medical Law Review
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1093/medlaw/fwae044
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1801 Law
dc.subject.classification	Law
dc.subject.classification	4804 Law in context
dc.subject.classification	5001 Applied ethics
dc.title	A reparatory account of health inequities
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	33
utslib.for	1801 Law
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Law
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-01-07T04:38:37Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	33
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Abstract Colonialism has left biological and social legacies that damage health. The resulting racialized health inequities re-enact past harms and are a profound social injustice. In response, this article brings together reparatory justice and health equity. Understandings of reparatory justice have evolved from a focus on compensation for past wrongs to the need for a more sustained and expansive politics of repair. This seeks to recognize the history and legacies of harm while diminishing the likelihood that such harms are repeated. Addressing racialized health inequities in the UK, and working with this articulation of reparatory justice, this article argues for the repair of bodies that continue to be damaged by historically rooted harms. Social determinants of health research has long linked socio-economic inequalities to poor health outcomes, and promoting health equity by addressing these inequalities can be an important element of the work to repair the past. This response acknowledges the moral case for both reparatory justice and health equity, while potentially addressing problems faced by traditionally articulated reparatory claims. Finally, exploring law’s role in addressing racialized health inequities can help us better understand how law is a determinant of health and its role in advancing health equity.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183085