Problem
You are a world-renowned expert and legal scholar with a specialized knowledge on theories of justice. You have been asked by a special medical tribunal to advise them on an urgent pending case and provide them with a clear decision that is just and fair.
The Scenario:
The current global health crisis has set in motion a radical rethink about universal access to critical health resources, even here at home. The good news for Canada is that a range of vaccinations are now available and broadly in use. In parts of the Global South (including Jamaica) however, the availability and access to these vaccines remains quite limited. Three patients were admitted to the National Health Hospital (NHH) in Kingston, Jamaica and all require immediate access to a vaccination given their pre-existing health conditions (all three patients are immunocompromised in some way). As these vaccines remain extremely limited in country, only one of the patients can be accommodated. Given the extraordinary circumstances, the NHH has waived privacy restrictions on the patients so that you may have some background on each:
Patient 1 (Alicia Appleton) is an 18-month-old infant daughter of Axel Thompson and an heir apparent to Hedonism Resorts (a substantial player in the multi-billion dollar a year tourist industry in the country).
Patient 2 (Francois-Phillipe Raymore) is a 50-year-old Member of the Jamaican Parliament (MP)
and Jamaica's current Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Patient 3 (Jane Dixon) is a 26-year-old homeless woman.
Your task is to identify the one patient that should receive the vaccine and inform the tribunal of your decision in your written response.
• Rawls
• Kant
There are three required components to a complete answer for each perspective that you choose (one each from A and B):
A. Provide a summary of the perspective and its basic principles. E.g., Explain clearly how each perspective understands/defines justice and how justice is determined.
B. Apply each perspective to the moral dilemma. E.g., Explain, according to the perspective, what would determine a just decision or outcome given the circumstances posed in the moral dilemma. You must clearly explain how and why your answer reflects the position of the perspective.
C. Assess the outcome determined by each perspective given the answer that was determined. E.g., You should clearly explain what you see as the strengths and/or weaknesses of the position that has been determined by each perspective. It will be fair to assume that outcomes, while just according to the perspective, may not be just given other circumstances.