Artikel

Over individuele verantwoordelijkheid en het recht op gezondheidszorg

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Samenvatting

Does a right to health care imply individual obligations to healthy behavior? Or put another way: is a self-induced condition a relevant criterion for some sort of restriction of this right - like withholding or modifying treatment in circumstances where choices have to be made? In this paper, I explore this matter by concentrating on three issues. First, I investigate the moral component of what it means to say that there is a right to health care, and search for the basis and scope of such a right. In this section, arguments of basic health care needs, fair equality of opportunity and collective moral obligation prove to be central. Next, I explore the various arguments supporting the possibility of forfeiting the right to health care. In addition to efficiency questions, arguments of duty and merit seem to be essential. Finally, I consider various counter considerations. Here it emerges that besides considerable practical difficulties, the argument of fair equality of opportunity remains decisive against the possibility of forfeiting the right to health care.

Hoe citeren:

Yvonne, D., (2007) “Over individuele verantwoordelijkheid en het recht op gezondheidszorg”, Ethiek en Maatschappij 10(2-3), 38–53. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/em.94443