Bioethics: Finals Utilitarian Justice

Assumption: A just distribution of benefits and

Allocation of Resources burdens is one that maximizes the net good for
society
Definition of Terms
Principle of Immediate Usefulness
 Allocation: refers to the distribution
of available resources.  Gives priority to the candidate who is
 Rationing : allocation of scarce ate greater immediate service to the
resources larger group under the circumstance

Medical Success Principle

 Gives priority to those which treatment

Rationing of Health Resources
has highest probability of success.

 In health care, rationing entails Principle of Conservation

withholding potentially beneficial
treatments from some individuals  Gives priority to those candidates who
require proportionally smaller amount
 Who should get what share of
of resources and therefore more lives
limited health care goods and
will be saved.
services?
 Who should live and who must die? Parental Role Principle

 Gives priority to those who have a

larger priority to the dependents
Macroallocation
Principle of General Social Value
 Concerned with what portion of
society’s resource should go to  Gives priority to those believed to have
health care and how this allotment the greatest general social worth thus
leading to the good of the society
should be used.
 Decisions made by larger bodies
Egalitarian Justice
such as the Congress, health system
agencies, private foundation, and Assumption: Important benefits and burdens of
health insurance companies a society should be distributed equally

Principle of Saving No One

Microallocation
 Gives priority to no one because not all
 Decisions that focus on deciding can be saved
who will be recipient of scarce Principle of Medical Neediness
resources
 Often involves patient selection  Gives priority to the one with the most
pressing medical needs

Principle of General Neediness

Types of Justice
 Gives priority to the most helpless or
 Utilitarian Justice generally neediest in an attempt to
 Egalitarian Justice bring them as nearly as possible to a
level of well being equal to that enjoyed
by others.
Principle of Queueing the line

 Gives priority to those who arrived first

Principle of Random Selection

 Gives priority to those selected by

chance or at random