Harm Reduction: A Misnomer.

Ethics Harm reduction Justice Philosophy Utilitarianism

Journal

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy
ISSN: 1573-3394
Titre abrégé: Health Care Anal
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 9432537

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Dec 2020
Historique:
accepted: 15 10 2020
pubmed: 6 11 2020
medline: 18 8 2021
entrez: 5 11 2020
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

'Harm reduction' programs are usually justified on the utilitarian grounds that they aim to reduce the net harms of a behavior. In this paper, I contend that (1) the historical genesis of harm reduction programs, and the crucial moral imperative that distinguishes these programs from other interventions and policies, are not utilitarian; (2) the practical implementation of harm reduction programs is not, and probably cannot be, utilitarian; and (3) the continued justification of harm reduction on utilitarian grounds is untenable and may itself cause harm. Promoting harm reduction programs as utilitarian in the public arena disregards their deeper prioritarian impulses. 'Harm reduction' is a misnomer, and the name should be abandoned sooner rather than later.

Identifiants

pubmed: 33151427
doi: 10.1007/s10728-020-00413-x
pii: 10.1007/s10728-020-00413-x
pmc: PMC7679315
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

324-334

Références

Addiction. 1997 Sep;92(9):1143-50
pubmed: 9374012
Drug Alcohol Rev. 1995;14(3):287-90
pubmed: 16203323
Subst Use Misuse. 1999 Jan;34(1):9-24
pubmed: 10052387
Am J Public Health. 1995 Jan;85(1):10-2
pubmed: 7832242
Drug Alcohol Rev. 1998 Jun;17(2):213-9
pubmed: 16203486
Int J Drug Policy. 2008 Feb;19(1):4-10
pubmed: 18226520
Am Psychol. 1998 Nov;53(11):1199-208
pubmed: 9830372
Addict Behav. 1996 Nov-Dec;21(6):779-88
pubmed: 8904943
Harm Reduct J. 2017 Oct 24;14(1):70
pubmed: 29065896
Int J Drug Policy. 2001 Jul 1;12(2):125-137
pubmed: 11399416
Int J Drug Policy. 2008 Feb;19(1):52-8
pubmed: 18226518

Auteurs

Nicholas B King (NB)

Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. nicholas.king@mcgill.ca.

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Classifications MeSH