Abstract
Harold Jaffe argues that we should adopt opt-out testing for HIV. There are paternalistic and utilitarian arguments for such an approach. In this commentary I draw attention to some similarities between his arguments and debates about opt-out systems of organ donation. I argue that the status quo bias provides both part of the reason that opt-out approaches work, and an explanation for why such approaches are sometimes resisted.
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Dominic Wilkinson is supported by an Oxford Nuffield Medical Fellowship, Eric Burnard Fellowship, and Royal Australasian College of Physicians Astra-Zeneca Medical Fellowship. The funders had no involvement in this work.
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Wilkinson, D. Challenging the Status Quo. Bioethical Inquiry 6, 235–237 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-009-9148-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-009-9148-3