The President's Commission: the need to be more philosophical.
This paper argues, contrary to what has sometimes been claimed, that public commissions need to be more philosophical than they have been in analyzing crucial bioethical issues. It argues (a) that the failure of the President's Commission to develop and use even simple distinctions between life and personhood led to flaws in both its discussion of death and its discussion of persistent vegetative patients, and (b) that its treatment of access to health care fails to develop a coherent approach precisely because it is based on no serious philosophical reflections about justice in health care.
Center for Ethics, Medicine, and Public Issues, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.
B A
BA
Brody
D026683:Advisory Committees; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D003128:Coma; D003643:Death; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D006286:Health Planning Councils; D006288:Health Planning Organizations; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D040821:Human Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000592:standards*; D028681:Moral Obligations; D028723:Personhood; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012935:Social Justice; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment