My Husband Would Not Survive a Triage Decision
I teach philosophy, and I would have argued against his care in theory.
In my introductory ethics classes, I present my students with a scenario: You’re a doctor with dwindling supplies of lifesaving medical treatments. How do you decide who lives and who dies? Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our discussions were hypothetical. None of us could foresee a time when the health-care system would be overrun. Back then, I just wanted my students to think through what might drive this decision. As a classically trained philosopher, I’m supposed to be able to resolve dilemmas such as this one rationally, and I often can—in theory. Real life turns out to be a lot more complicated. Under the philosophical principles I taught,
