Which principle is about fair distribution of benefits and burdens in similar situations?

• A. Autonomy
• B. Beneficence
• C. Nonmaleficence
• D. Justice

Answer: (D)

Justice governs fair distribution of benefits and burdens in similar situations. It means treating like cases alike, ensuring equal access to care, and allocating scarce resources without bias. In practice, if two patients have similar medical needs, justice supports giving them similar opportunities for treatment and minimizing unfair disparities, while considering overall fairness in the system (for example, in organ allocation or vaccine distribution). Autonomy focuses on respecting individual patient choices; beneficence on doing good for the patient; nonmaleficence on avoiding harm. These are important factors, but they address different aspects—justice specifically targets fairness across people in comparable circumstances.