Should doctors ever make medical judgments not for the good of the patient but for the good for society?

Pro: A doctor has duties beyond those derived from membership in the medical profession. A doctor is also a citizen and has duties to the country. Physicians are members of society and as such have many of the same concerns that other members have. They are concerned with the well-being of the state in which they live. They are concerned with the security of their nation. They are concerned with the apprehension of criminals. The doctor may refuse to give care to a patient who proves to be a threat to the well-being of society. A doctor should, for example, refuse to save the life of a murderous tyrant.

Con: Physicians have a primary responsibility of caring for the health of human beings apart from any evaluation of the consequences for society.

Con: Making moral evaluations of other people is always tricky and fraught with danger. Physicians who permit themselves to render care on the basis of moral judgments risk having their judgments corrupted by petty personal considerations or the impersonal dictates of a particular government: injustice may be the result.