Richard Harris Objection To Death

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Harris does not believe that this claim is a good objection because he believes that allowing the two sick people to die also constitutes as killing innocent people. He believes that the doctors in the scenario he describes would be murdering patients Y and Z by refusing to use the healthy organs of patient A to save them and it would be no different than shooting them. He also says that patients Y and Z are no less innocent that patient A just because they were unfortunate enough to have diseased organs. Preferring the lives of those who are more fortunate, he argues, would also be morally wrong. I believe that he makes a very compelling argument in criticizing this objection, but I cannot completely agree with him. While it would save innocent lives, sacrificing A against their will is still murder just as much as allowing Y and Z to die would be in Harris's mind. …show more content…
However, as a utilitarian, one must choose the course of action that will produce the most good. I believe that looking only at the number of lives saved compared to those lost would be an incomplete assessment of the survival lottery, and negative effects may be produced by such a system that Harris may not have fully considered. For example, the psychological impact on members of a society in which the survival lottery existed would be great, especially amongst those who disagree with the system. It would also be impossible to know for sure how many people would be affected by a donor's death, the possible ways in which a system like that is prone to corruption, or even whether or not protests of the lottery system might turn violent or deadly. Therefore, the survival lottery could produce more bad than good despite the number of lives saved, and that would make it a morally wrong decision based on the utilitarian way of
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