ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the life's beginning, life's ending, and life's preservation in face of judgments about the degree of perfection or imperfection of individual lives. The abortion debate addresses the issues of when legally protected life begins and whether and under what circumstances a pregnant woman has the right to resort to abortion in order to prevent the birth of an unwanted child. Economists have begun to apply cost-benefit analysis to the decision-making process and have identified the birth weight below which intensive care yields a net economic loss in terms of the quality-adjusted-life-years gained. The scarcity of a society's resources and the inequalities that are permitted to exist among classes of people explain how life and opportunities are rationed. The need to ration medical care in the United Kingdom, as well as to limit other social costs, is reflected in the treatment of very low birth weight infants.
