The Question of Obligation to Save Lives in Pandemic

Everyone wants the coronavirus to end. Everyone hopes that life will return to normal – at the grocery stores, bars, and churches.

There is much discussion today about when that return can be made and what the costs are in the meantime. Should the whole world stop to save one life? Should the world ignore the virus and accelerate herd immunity? The two best articles that I have read on the political question of when to return to normal are below.

The first is written by Dr. Robert Koons. The basic question is at what point does the damage of quarantine start to be greater or less than the damage of the virus? Enjoy!

Can We Measure the Value of Saving Human Lives in Dollars? Somber Calculations in a Time of Plague

In fighting Coronavirus, the precautionary principle is reasonable: we need to act so as to bring as close to zero the probability of the most extreme results. However, the precautionary principle does not point in only one direction. Closing down an entire society for a prolonged period of time is uncharted territory, with many perils. We must also bear in mind the pre-eminent importance of the common good to avoid a catastrophic social collapse.

Can We Measure the Value of Saving Human Lives in Dollars? Somber Calculations in a Time of Plague

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The second considers a far more serious side effect of quarantine. I have included both perspectives.

• https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2020/04/epidemic-danger-and-catholic-sacraments
• https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/why-ban-on-parking-lot-mass/