title: Law and ethics in population health.
abstract: This paper proposes an action agenda to assure healthier and safer populations. First, create a strong public health infrastructure with sustainable funding and secure foundations--a well-trained workforce, modern data systems, rapid disease surveillance, and laboratory capacity. Second, use law as a tool for the public's health - tax and spend to create incentives for health, alter the informational and built environments to reduce risk behaviours, lower socio-economic disparities to improve health, regulate for the public's welfare, pursue tort litigation to innovate for safety, and deregulate to reduce harm. Third, create a new public health ethic in society that truly values human health--advocate for a renewed commitment to the ideals of community and partnership, and stress citizens' duties to help and protect their fellow human beings.
authors.affiliation: Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20001-2075, United States of America. gostin@law.georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Lawrence O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Gostin
mesh_terms: D033161:Government Regulation; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015980:Public Health Practice / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012935:Social Justice