No, of course it's not right to withhold treatment from any human being, except maybe in extreme cases such as violent, abusive behaviour. Doctors sign the Hippocratic Oath, indicating that they will do all they can to preserve life and promote health and well-being. It is totally unethical to deny a human being the right to good health care on the basis of the ways in which they have contributed to their health problems. Where would such policies end?

Do they then assess whether an immature young juvenile delinquent who's broken his leg performing some crazy stunt gets treatment to mend the fracture? Do victims of road trauma have to prove they were not at fault before they can receive treatment? Are women with a history of pregnancy health issues denied access to obstetric treatment for being foolhardy enough to have another baby? Are people over a certain age automatically excluded from life-saving treatment because they have passed their "use by" date? Are people who have attempted to take their own life, or have performed self-mutilation, refused the medical care they need because their injuries are self-inflicted? Are anorexic girls allowed to just die because it's their own decision to refuse food? Are people with HIV Aids left to rot if their disease has been acquired through a homosexual lifestyle or sharing intravenous needles?

All human lives are of equal value, regardless of whether they do dumb things and live lifestyles that make them more prone to illness or accident. Society has a solemn responsibility to care for every individual without discrimination. If we start sifting out the ones that have contributed to their conditions or injuries to any degree, then there won't be many left who are deemed to deserve treatment, and our world will be in an even sorrier state than it already is.

We are all but human and we all make mistakes that can impact on us in the short or long term. We all live with a whole range of personal circumstances that affect the things we do, the habits we form and our ability to overcome our weaknesses and failings. It is not up to doctors and other medical authorities to set themselves up as judges of humanity. Their job is to fulfill the responsibilities they have been entrusted with. The should always do all they can to make people well and give them another chance at life, or the right to the best quality of life possible.

There can be no doubt that there are doctors and other medical workers

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