Abstracts
Abstract
This paper is a reply to Saunders’s criticism of my previously published nonconsequentialist policy proposal regarding the use of a lottery for the distribution of scarce vaccine by the state in the face of an influenza pandemic. I argued there that, on the grounds of justice, the state should distribute some of the scarce vaccine it might hold to some of its healthcare employees and the rest to citizens randomly and equally on the principle of a lottery. Central to Saunders’s criticism is the claim that I mistakenly failed to take into account morally relevant differences in need and productive capacity between potential recipients of the vaccine. Central to my response here is that whether or not need and productive capacity are morally relevant factors depends on who or what is distributing the vaccine, to whom they are distributing it, and why they are doing so. For instance, discrimination between people in the distribution of publicly owned vaccine that is distributed as a prophylactic on the basis of their age is unjust whether or not it might be morally justifiable on other grounds.
Résumé
Cet article est une réponse à la critique de Saunders de ma proposition de politique non conséquentialiste publiée précédemment concernant l’utilisation d’une loterie pour la distribution de vaccins rares par l’État face à une pandémie de grippe. J’y ai soutenu que, pour des raisons de justice, l’État devrait distribuer une partie du vaccin rare qu’il pourrait détenir à certains de ses employés de la santé et le reste aux citoyens de manière aléatoire et égale sur le principe d’une loterie. Au coeur de la critique de Saunders se trouve l’affirmation selon laquelle j’ai omis à tort de prendre en compte les différences moralement pertinentes dans les besoins et la capacité de production entre les receveurs potentiels du vaccin. Le point central de ma réponse ici est que le fait que le besoin et la capacité de production soient ou non des facteurs moralement pertinents dépend de qui ou de quoi distribue le vaccin, à qui ils le distribuent et pourquoi ils le font. Par exemple, la discrimination entre les personnes dans la distribution de vaccins publics distribués à titre prophylactique sur la base de leur âge est injuste, qu’elle soit ou non moralement justifiable pour d’autres motifs.
Appendices
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