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Efficiency, responsibility and disability

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  • Stephen John

Abstract

Pre-natal-diagnosis technologies allow parents to discover whether their child is likely to suffer from serious disability. One argument for state funding of access to such technologies is that doing so would be “cost-effective†, in the sense that the expected financial costs of such a programme would be outweighed by expected “benefits†, stemming from the births of fewer children with serious disabilities. This argument is extremely controversial. This paper argues that the argument may not be as unacceptable as is often assumed. In doing so, it sets out a more general framework for assessing the relevance of efficiency calculations to policy-making. The final section also investigates the relationship between the paper’s arguments and claims about parental responsibility for child-bearing and rearing, with reference to Scanlon’s work on “substantive responsibility†.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen John, 2015. "Efficiency, responsibility and disability," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 14(1), pages 3-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:14:y:2015:i:1:p:3-22
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X13505412
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Seror, Valerie & Costet, Nathalie, 1998. "Down syndrome serum marker screening: decision criteria and implicit values," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 83-96, January.
    2. Sunstein,Cass R., 2002. "Risk and Reason," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521791991, January.
    3. Hansson, Sven Ove, 2007. "Philosophical Problems In Cost–Benefit Analysis," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 163-183, July.
    4. Hubin, Donald C., 1994. "The Moral Justification of Benefit/Cost Analysis," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(2), pages 169-194, October.
    5. Anand, Sudhir, 2004. "Public Health, Ethics, and Equity," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199276363.
    6. Wolff, Jonathan, 2009. "Disability, Status Enhancement, Personal Enhancement And Resource Allocation," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(1), pages 49-68, March.
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