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On Engster's care-justification of the specialness thesis about healthcare

Rumbold, B; (2017) On Engster's care-justification of the specialness thesis about healthcare. Journal of Medical Ethics , 43 (8) pp. 501-505. 10.1136/medethics-2015-102799. Green open access

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Abstract

To say health is ‘special’ is to say that it has a moral significance that differentiates it from other goods (cars, say or radios) and, as a matter of justice, warrants distributing it separately. In this essay, I critique a new justification for the specialness thesis about healthcare (STHC) recently put forth by Engster. I argue that, regrettably, Engster's justification of STHC ultimately fails and fails on much the same grounds as have previous justifications of STHC. However, I also argue that Engster's argument still adds something valuable to the debate around STHC insofar as it reminds us that the moral significance of healthcare may be wider than simply its effect on the incidence of disability and disease: one further reason we may think healthcare is morally significant is because it concerns the treatment and care of those who are already unwell.

Type: Article
Title: On Engster's care-justification of the specialness thesis about healthcare
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2015-102799
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2015-102799
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1502834
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