B1 Other refereed article (e.g., editorial, letter, comment) in a scientific journal
Weighty matters: Ozempic, autonomy and the ethics of health reform
Authors: Räsänen, Joona; Ahola-Launonen, Johanna
Publisher: BMJ
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Journal of Medical Ethics
ISSN: 0306-6800
eISSN: 1473-4257
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2025-111117
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: No Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2025-111117
Abstract
Ryan and Savulescu recently offered an ethical analysis of the use of semaglutide-based weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic. In this response, we continue the discussion and argue that their framework insufficiently addresses structural inequalities and the broader political context of obesity treatment. Positioning pharmaceutical drugs as a solution to socially produced health problems narrows moral decision-making, causing structural approaches to appear less urgent and less important. We criticise the individualistic conception of autonomy commonly invoked to justify pharmaceutical choice, arguing that a proper definition of autonomy requires attention to social contexts-stigma, discrimination and economic inequality-that shape treatment decisions. We call for a broader ethical framework-one that interrogates structural injustices and reimagines health interventions beyond individual treatment-asking: is the problem our bodies or unregulated markets and environments that produce ill health in them?
Ryan and Savulescu recently offered an ethical analysis of the use of semaglutide-based weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic. In this response, we continue the discussion and argue that their framework insufficiently addresses structural inequalities and the broader political context of obesity treatment. Positioning pharmaceutical drugs as a solution to socially produced health problems narrows moral decision-making, causing structural approaches to appear less urgent and less important. We criticise the individualistic conception of autonomy commonly invoked to justify pharmaceutical choice, arguing that a proper definition of autonomy requires attention to social contexts-stigma, discrimination and economic inequality-that shape treatment decisions. We call for a broader ethical framework-one that interrogates structural injustices and reimagines health interventions beyond individual treatment-asking: is the problem our bodies or unregulated markets and environments that produce ill health in them?
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