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Experts unconvinced by Lord Sumption's lockdown ethics

Critics of retired supreme court justice say QALYs measure not intended for public health debate
Seven years before Lord Sumption found himself at the centre of a media storm over his apparent suggestion that the life of a woman with stage 4 cancer was “less valuable”, the former supreme court justice wrote a judgment that seemed to take a very different view.
In 2014, addressing the Tony Nicklinson case in a decision which upheld a ban on doctors helping patients to end their lives, he called the sanctity of life a “fundamental moral value”.
“A reverence for human life for its own sake is probably the most fundamental of all human social values,” he went on, before quoting another judgment approvingly: “In a case like this we should not try to analyse the rationality of such feelings. What matters is that, in one form or another, they form part of almost everyone’s intuitive values.”
Fast forward to 2021 and Sumption – a prominent critic of coronavirus lockdowns – was provoking outrage on Sunday by telling the BBC’s The Big Questions that he did not accept that “all lives are of equal value”.
When Deborah James, presenter of the You, Me & the Big C podcast, said “I’m the person who you say their life is not valuable”, he interrupted with a reply that he later said was the result of a misunderstanding: “I didn’t say it was not valuable, I said it was less valuable.”
To Sumption, the apparent difference in his stance is explained by the difference in context. He said on Monday: “I certainly didn’t say, and don’t think, that I regard the sanctity of life as an absolute value that prevails over absolutely everything else, always.”
Not everyone is convinced.
John Coggon, a professor in law at Bristol University’s Centre for Health, Law, and Society who has written on the ethics of public health responses to the pandemic, views the difference as evidence that Sumption’s thinking may be coloured by his opposition to lockdowns in general.
“He is articulating a view that seems to go against moral principles that he really sought to propagate quite forcefully as a judge, which I find slightly startling, and somewhat ironic,” he said. “
Whether or not the two positions can be reconciled, the difference between them illustrates the complex moral calculus facing anyone weighing the benefit of a lockdown – and, perhaps, why the retired supreme court justice’s critics are so angry.
His views hinge on the idea that “quality-adjusted life-years” (QALYs), a measure often used in medical ethics to help with decision-making on treatment, are a helpful way to think about the effects of lockdown.
Before his remarks about James, Sumption said: “I don’t accept that all lives are of equal value. My children’s and my grandchildren’s life is worth much more than mine because they’ve got a lot more of it ahead. The whole concept of quality life years ahead is absolutely fundamental if one’s going to look at the value of these things.”
But while QALYs are used to guide difficult decisions on treatment for people at the end of their lives, experts rarely refer to them in the debate on universal public-health measures, which require the balancing of complicated factors like loneliness, education, poverty and health.
Sumption, a supporter of the Recovery campaign which argues that “the consequences of hysteria and rushed legislation can be worse than the virus itself”, told the Guardian: “My observation on QALYs is simply that there is a utilitarian calculus here. If we say to ourselves, are we prepared to tolerate a situation where some of the most basic instincts of humanity are repressed, you cannot simply answer that by saying human lives are sacrosanct.”
He reiterated that he had not intended to refer to James specifically when he said that one life would be “less valuable” than another.
Even discounting the exchange with her personally, though, James told ITV’s Lorraine programme that Sumption’s remarks “ask us to question, ‘Well hang on a moment, where do we come in the pecking order, if we are suddenly rating our life, where might I sit?’ I think, from every perspective, that’s immoral.”
Her friend Lauren Mahon, who co-presents the Big C podcast and was herself diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, said she had been “really hurt and upset”.
“I’m part of a community
Dr Alexis Paton, chair of the Royal College of Physicians’ Committee on Ethical Issues in Medicine, said that QALYs are “an arbitrary measure we use to make difficult decisions about resource allocation … It is confused to think that if somebody is going to live for a short period of time then it’s not worth helping them.”
In practice, she added, QALYs were usually part of a nuanced discussion about what is best for an individual patient. “Whether they’re useful for public health decisions about lockdowns, I’m really unsure.”
To Coggon, suggesting this is something that could be settled by an objective view of the value of a life signalled a problem plaguing the wider debate. “‘Trust the science’ can tell you what the efficacy of a drug will be, who will benefit most from it … but when you ultimately reach a decision, your values will come into play,” he said.
“People don’t feel that it’s morally offensive to say that, as Lord Sumption said, my children’s lives are worth more than my life … But when you see that writ large, and don’t put yourself at the centre of it, you have a systematic effect, which says we will value these sort of lives less than those sorts of lives.”
source: Archie Bland
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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