Against 'Saving Lives': Equal Concern and Differential Impact.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8704792 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-8519 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02699702 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Bioethics Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell
Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Basil Blackwell, c1987-

Ethical Theory* ; Life Expectancy* ; Quality of Life* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years* ; Value of Life*/economics; Health Care Rationing/*ethics ; Patient Selection/*ethics; Beneficence ; Ethical Analysis ; Humans

Bioethicists often present 'saving lives' as a goal distinct from, and competing with, that of extending lives by as much as possible. I argue that this usage of the term is misleading, and provides unwarranted rhetorical support for neglecting the magnitudes of the harms and benefits at stake in medical allocation decisions, often to the detriment of the young. Equal concern for all persons requires weighting equal interests equally, but not all individuals have an equal interest in 'life-saving' treatment.
(© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Keywords: QALYs; bioethics; discrimination; double jeopardy; equal concern; resource allocation

Date Created: 20150702 Date Completed: 20161025 Latest Revision: 20161230

20221213

10.1111/bioe.12171

26132886