Ethical conceptualization of a sustainable right to health(care)

Excerpt

Despite a vast amount of discussions on sustainability and on the right to health(care) within applied ethics, it has not been precisely determined how both concepts can be connected. This article argues that a sustainable right to health(care) comprises an agent-relative right to health(care), an agent-neutral right to health(care), economic aspects, and (only included in the conceptualization of a sustainable right to health, not to healthcare) environmental aspects. It starts with a formal outline of the argument in the form of numbered premises, with reference to the sections of the paper where the respective premises are analysed (section 1). It then summarises the idea that a sustainable right to health, encompassing the right to healthcare, rests on the assumptions of normative realism, of agent-relative and agent-neutral values (Nagel, 1986), and on the traditional concept of sustainability (Elkington, 1999) (sections 2 and 3). Concomitantly, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ (ICESCR, 1966) outline of the right to health and the World Commission on Environment and Development's (WCED, 1987) definition of sustainability are evaluated. Finally, the proposed concept is discussed from the perspective of different countries and with a focus on the conflict between economic and ethical, as well as agent-relative and agent-neutral aspects of a sustainable right to health(care) (section 4). Repeatedly in sections 3 and 4, germline genome editing is taken as an example for the suggested approach, as the health of future generations is, on the one hand, reflected in the idea of a sustainable right to health(care) and, on the other hand, is essential when discussing the right to this novel technology.