Matt Warren ⚡ on Nostr: Interestingly, we started doing this in the US in a time when medical ethics weren't ...

Interestingly, we started doing this in the US in a time when medical ethics weren't nearly as developed as they are now. I'd say we hardly had any at all by today's standards.

We should look at these issues ethically without making the issues political or even scientific. Even if a thing is scientifically proven to do more good than harm, that doesn't give one the right to disregard ethics and force that thing onto others. People must be able to choose in a free society.

Ethics is an issue that we should be considering first. I've failed at this too on this issue and others.

quoting nevent1q…8p5c

Medicating people without informed consent is unethical. Fluoride is not required to make water safe for human consumption and should not be added without informed consent. There are some risks associated with fluoride consumption for different people at different levels. That is a fact. The degree to which one accepts those risks vs benefits is up to the individual.

That said, there are worse things in most drinking water, which is why I remove almost everything and add minerals back. I floss, brush with fluoride, and use good mouth wash. I've done this for years and have had one cavity between two teeth that grew in such a way that they weren't getting flossed well in between. I have all 32 teeth and all are perfectly healthy. That's anecdotal, but the causal relationship between fluoridated water and dental health seems overblown to me. I also don't eat a lot of candy, soft drinks, etc.

I don't buy that there's no other way than to medicate people without informed consent. It's bullshit.

This is just one example of an issue that can apply to many areas. It's important to apply ethics universally.

nevent1q…up0k