Philosophy
The Ethics of Triage and the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources
Quick fact
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many crisis standards of care explicitly recommended prioritizing patients who would gain the most 'life-years'—a criterion that can disadvantage older adults and people with disabilities, igniting fierce ethical and legal debates.
Why this is interesting
When a hurricane knocks out a hospital's power, there is only one ventilator left—but three patients need it. Whose life is worth more? Who decides?