What makes killing wrong?

J Med Ethics. 2013 Jan;39(1):3-7. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2011-100351. Epub 2012 Jan 19.

Abstract

What makes an act of killing morally wrong is not that the act causes loss of life or consciousness but rather that the act causes loss of all remaining abilities. This account implies that it is not even pro tanto morally wrong to kill patients who are universally and irreversibly disabled, because they have no abilities to lose. Applied to vital organ transplantation, this account undermines the dead donor rule and shows how current practices are compatible with morality.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Death*
  • Brain Injuries
  • Disabled Persons*
  • Ethical Analysis
  • Ethics, Medical
  • Homicide / ethics*
  • Humans
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting / ethics*
  • Value of Life*
  • Wedge Argument