Posted by Rach on March 2, 2005, at 1:11:30
In reply to Re: (2) One or Six??? » Rach, posted by alexandra_k on March 1, 2005, at 14:48:05
>PS. Going with your argument for the first case it would be acceptable for a surgeon to refrain from operating on the man (let him die) as it is okay to 'let die' just not to actively kill...
I wasn't saying that it's ok to 'let die', but that in the unchangeable scenario presented, to me it's preferable for 6 people to die unattributed to my actions, than for 1 person to be murdered by me.
So I'm guaranteed to save the man, and 6 others are guaranteed to die? If I didn't save the man, would the 6 be guaranteed to live with their new organs? (I assume so). Still, save the man. They're his organs!
What if I presented a situation where there are 8 people waiting for organs who will die without them, and live with them. A man walks into your office who is a match for all of them, but he is perfectly healthy. Would you suffocate that man to pass on his organs and save 8 other people?
poster:Rach
thread:464571
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050224/msgs/465308.html