Hard Choices
How Does Injustice Affect the Ethics of Medical Aid in Dying
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21598328 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brent M Kious (0000-0003-3477-5659, University of Utah, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 413-424 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0963-1801 • E-ISSN: 1469-2147 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0963180123000531 |
| PMID | 37842786 |
| OpenAlex | W4387661854 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
Critics of medical aid in dying (MAID) often argue that it is impermissible because background social conditions are insufficiently good for some persons who would utilize it. I provide a critical evaluation of this view. I suggest that receiving MAID is a sort of “hard choice,” in that death is prima facie bad for the individual and only promotes that person’s interests in special circumstances. Those raising this objection to MAID are, I argue, concerned primarily about the effects of injustice on hard choices. I show, however, that MAID and other hard choices are not always invalidated by injustice and that what matters is whether the injustice can be remediated given certain constraints. Injustice invalidates a hard choice when it can, reasonably, be remedied in a way that makes a person’s life go better. I consider the implications of this view for law and policy regarding MAID
Injustice · Medical ethics · Psychiatry · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Ethics in medical practice · Patient Dignity and Privacy · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |