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Against ‘Saving Lives’: Equal Concern and Differential Impact
Author(s) -
Chappell Richard Yetter
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bioethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1467-8519
pISSN - 0269-9702
DOI - 10.1111/bioe.12171
Subject(s) - rhetorical question , term (time) , actuarial science , weighting , differential (mechanical device) , law and economics , positive economics , psychology , economics , public economics , medicine , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , radiology , aerospace engineering
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.