Review of the 2nd Network Meeting, September 22, 2025
On September 22, 2025, the members met online for the 2nd network meeting. Inputs by Verina Wild (Augsburg) and Ryoa Chung (Montreal) on justice and vulnerability as bioethical concepts formed the basis for an in-depth exchange.
In her lecture “Justice and Vulnerability in Bioethics: From the 1960s to Today,” Verina Wild provided an overview of the development of bioethics and the concept of vulnerability within the discipline. She highlighted the critical discussion of vulnerability as a central contribution of feminist approaches to bioethics. She emphasized the still insufficient but increasing recognition of the importance of intersectional and decolonial approaches in bioethics.
In the second part of the meeting, Ryoa Chung introduced the concept of “Structural Health Vulnerability,” particularly in the context of humanitarian crises. By “Structural Health Vulnerability,” she refers to increased health risks that are directly linked to social inequality, which in turn arises from the interaction between structural and epistemic injustice. This perspective on vulnerability enables a particular focus on historical oppression.
The two presentations formed the basis for further discussions within the network.
The 3rd network meeting – “Responsibility and Structural Injustice within Healthcare” – will take place online in February 2026.