Normal functioning and the treatment/enhancement distinction: an opportunity based assessment

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Medical Philosophy
• Health Justice

Background:

• Genome mapping advances necessitate re-evaluating concepts of disease, treatment, and enhancement.
• Norman Daniels' 1985 normal-functioning model, expanding Rawls' justice theory, links healthcare to opportunity constraints imposed by disease.
• This model defines medical institutions' commitment by focusing on deviations from normal human function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the robustness and implications of Norman Daniels' normal-functioning model in healthcare ethics.
• To assess the model's capacity to address social justice demands within resource limitations.
• To evaluate the model's effectiveness in preventing healthcare system overextension and medicalization.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of Norman Daniels' normal-functioning model.
• Ethical examination of justice in healthcare provision.
• Literature review of critiques and defenses of the normal-functioning model.

Main Results:

• The normal-functioning model provides a strong ethical basis for healthcare allocation aligned with social justice principles.
• Critiques regarding the model's boundaries are often based on exaggerated special cases.
• The model effectively limits the scope of medical intervention, preventing overextension and medicalization.

Conclusions:

• Norman Daniels' normal-functioning model offers a pragmatic and ethically sound framework for healthcare obligations.
• The model successfully balances the demands of social justice with the need for sustainable healthcare systems.
• It provides a clear boundary for medical practice, distinguishing between treating disease and enhancing function.