title: Against 'Saving Lives': Equal Concern and Differential Impact.
abstract: Bioethicists often present 'saving lives' as a goal distinct from, and competing with, that of extending lives by as much as possible. I argue that this usage of the term is misleading, and provides unwarranted rhetorical support for neglecting the magnitudes of the harms and benefits at stake in medical allocation decisions, often to the detriment of the young. Equal concern for all persons requires weighting equal interests equally, but not all individuals have an equal interest in 'life-saving' treatment.
authors.forename: Richard Yetter
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3322-4935
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Chappell
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D028663:Ethical Theory; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics*; D011788:Quality of Life; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D026712:Value of Life / Q000191:economics
keywords: QALYs; bioethics; discrimination; double jeopardy; equal concern; resource allocation