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>So your problem is that it’s not fair how he distributed it? No, the point I'm making is that his actions were outside of the system we use as a society to en
by ivanbakel 6y ago
>So your problem is that it’s not fair how he distributed it?
No, the point I'm making is that his actions were outside of the system we use as a society to ensure fairness. He could still have distributed the vaccine fairly - but he also could have done it unfairly. The concern comes from the lack of due process.
>You’d rather see life saving medicine trashed rather than go into a human being’s arm? How can you defend that position?
This is a strawman, so thankfully I don't have to defend it.
Ultimately, the point is more this one: if you view this with a utilitarian mindset, then you may feel that the ends justified the doctor's means. But the rule of law is deontological, not utilitarian - both because it simplifies decision-making in the justice system, and because it protects people from utilitarian injustice. And from that perspective, the doctor acted unjustly in bypassing policy, even if the outcome was good - and that's what the prosecutor is concerned with.
- h_anna_h 6y ago> in bypassing policy Citation needed please, the article said that he followed the policy of not letting the vaccine go to waste.
- ivanbakel 6y agoThe article says that he reports following the policy as he understood it. He also reports that he was later told he should have disposed of the vaccine or returned it, rather than caring about wastage. The county prosecutor maintains that policy directed him to act differently, since that is the basis of her case against him. So, from the prosecutor's perspective, he bypassed policy. Since I'm making a point about the prosecutor's motivations, it's charitable to see this from the view of the prosecutor.
- mcv 6y agoA policy that was not written down anywhere. There's no reason to fire someone over such an informal policy that contradicts an explicit guideline. At best, this should have warranted a warning and the introduction of a clearer policy. But in this case, the policy would still be wrong if it encouraged wasting vaccine that could have been used to save lives. It's frankly bizarre to see people value bureaucracy over lives.
- whoisburbansky 6y agoThe case has been thrown out, which gives you a sense of how ridiculous the prosecutors position was. Quoting the Harris County judge who threw it out, > In the number of words usually taken to describe an allegation of retail shoplifting, the State attempts, for the first time, to criminalize a doctor’s documented administration of vaccine doses during a public health emergency,” Bynum wrote in his order, adding the prosecutor’s affidavit was “riddled with sloppiness and errors.” https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/amp/Harris-County-judge-blasts-Ogg-for-charging-doc-15896405.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/am...
- yw3410 6y agoThat's not entirely true though - the penalties for attempted murder are not the same as murder, for example.