The Patient as Citizen: Health Care, Politics and Autonomy

In this talk, Sara Rushing, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at MSU, will explore the concepts of freedom and compliance in the context of health care and medicine. In mainstream American medicine, patient autonomy is a strong value, often described as a commitment to choice and control. In reality, our ability to will and direct our own treatment is often deeply constrained. When we extend beyond the context of illness and look at public health initiatives such as vaccination programs, our notions of freedom become even more complex. Rushing will examine our interdependence with others and our reliance on expert knowledge to make decisions about our lives.
This collaborative community event is presented by OLLI at MSU and the Belgrade Community Library and is free and open to the public thanks to a generous sponsorship by Kenyon Noble. All Belgrade Community Library online events will be hosted via the Library's Zoom account. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the program.


**Belgrade library events to read: Registration for this event closes at noon the day of the event.