HEALTH POLICY Distributive Justice and Infertility Treatment in Canada

An exploration of distributive justice in Canadian infertility treatment requires the integration of ethical, clinical, and economic principles. In 1971, American philosopher John Rawls proposed a theoretical model for fair decision-making in which “rational ” and “self-interested ” citizens are behind a “veil of ignorance ” with respect to both their own position and the position of other decision-makers. Rawls proposed that these self-interested decision-makers, fearing that they are among the least advantaged persons who could be affected by the decision, will agree only upon rules that encode equality of opportunity and that bestow the greatest benefit on the least advantaged citizens. Regarding health policy decision-making, Rawls ’ model is best illustrated by Canadian philosopher Warren Bourgeois in his panel of “volunteers. ” These rational and self-interested volunteer