SQLAlchemy set default value of one column to that of another column

You can create context-sensitive default function

def mydefault(context):
    return context.get_current_parameters()['name']

class Substance(Base):
    __tablename__ = "substances"
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    code = Column(String, unique=True)
    name = Column(String, unique=True)
    long_name = Column(String, unique=True, default=mydefault)