Utilitarian Bioethics

Utilitarian Bioethics is a very controversial branch of Utilitarian ethics that espouses directing medical resources where they will contribute most to the sum of the number of happy people in the world.

The upsides include easy medical decision-making by simple principles, and an increase in total number of happy people (and/or a decrease in unhappy ones).

The downsides include many justifications for physicians to kill patients, and the classification of many disabled or young or old people as "nonpersons".

• Arguments in favor of Utilitarian Bioethics include:
  • Peter Singer, Practical Ethics, Cambridge Univ Pr (Pap Txt); ISBN: 052143971X; 2nd edition (February 1993)
  • Udo Schüklenk, 2001 (http://sunsite.wits.ac.za/bio/intro1.htm)

• Arguments against Utilitarian Bioethics include:
  • Betty Alfred, 1999 (http://www.tell-us-your-story.com/_disc69r/0000000d.htm)
  • P. Meehan, 2000 (http://www.literatus.net/essay/BioEthics)
  • Dean R. Koontz, One Door Away from Heaven, Bantam Books; ISBN: 0553582755; (October, 2002)