Which principle is about fairness in distributing benefits, risks, and costs, with similar patients receiving similar care?

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

Answer: (D)

Justice in medical ethics centers on fairness in distributing benefits, risks, and costs of care. It requires that patients who are similar in their diagnosis and prognosis receive similar access to treatments, tests, and resources, and that non-medical factors such as wealth, race, or social status don’t influence care. In practice, this means applying consistent criteria for resource allocation (like need, potential benefit, and urgency) so that similar cases are treated alike. This is why the principle fits: fairness is achieved when similar patients receive similar care. Autonomy focuses on patient choice, beneficence on doing good for the patient, and nonmaleficence on avoiding harm, but none specifically addresses equitable distribution across patients as justice does.