Papers Published
- Sinnott-Armstrong, W; Miller, FG, What makes killing wrong?,
Journal of medical ethics, vol. 39 no. 1
(January, 2013),
pp. 3-7 (This was a lead article followed by four comments. Online First, published on January 19, 2012 as 10.1136/medethics-2011-100351.) [22267342], [doi].
(last updated on 2024/08/25)
Author's Comments: Advance online publication at DOI: 10.1037/a0024796, pp. 1-14
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.
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