Beneficence, justice, and health care.
This paper argues that societal duties of health promotion are underwritten (at least in large part) by a principle of beneficence. Further, this principle generates duties of justice that correlate with rights, not merely "imperfect" duties of charity or generosity. To support this argument, I draw on a useful distinction from bioethics and on a somewhat neglected approach to social obligation from political philosophy. The distinction is that between general and specific beneficence; and the approach from political philosophy has at times been called equality of concern. After clarifying the distinction and setting out the basis of the equality of concern view, I argue that the result is a justice-based principle of "specific" beneficence that should be reflected in a society's health policy. I then draw on this account to criticize, refine, and extend some prominent health care policy proposals from the bioethics literature.
J Paul
JP
Kelleher
D026686:Beneficence; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D033161:Government Regulation; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D028681:Moral Obligations; D012935:Social Justice / Q000941:ethics*; D012941:Social Responsibility