Friday, March 20, 2020

Ethical dilemmas in the age of coronavirus: Whose lives should we save?; Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2020

Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times; Ethical dilemmas in the age of coronavirus: Whose lives should we save?

"In routine times, emergency room physicians operate on egalitarian principles, offering first-come, first-served intensive care on the basis that everybody’s life is equal.

But the approach becomes more utilitarian in times of catastrophe. When systems are overrun during wars and natural disasters, doctors must decide how to maximize resources for the greatest social good.

“This is the largest experiment of social mitigation strategies and handling of a pandemic in human history,” said Howard Markel, a professor of history at the University of Michigan. “Historical epidemics don’t count because they didn’t have intensive care, respirators or intravenous fluids. We’re all flying by the seat of our pants.”"

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