Let us imagine that you are Carter, youthful hero of ER, just about to go off-shift.
In Ward 101, just next to the Emergency Room, are five people waiting for organ transplants. One needs a heart, one a liver, two need kidneys, and the fifth a stomach. All will die very soon unless suitable organs can be found, and none are available across the US. (And for those who like to play safe in such cases, why not jack up the utility of saving these people to some ridiculous level? For instance: one of the five is a violinist who gives pleasure to millions, one is only a few days away from producing an antitoxin for the AIDS virus, ....., etc.. yawn....yawn...).
Glancing out of the window, you see a tramp, clearly in the rudest of health, whistling along the deserted street. It crosses your mind that here are the needed organs, all neatly done up in a bag of skin. It further crosses your mind that no-one is looking: you could drag him in here, anaesthetize him, slice him open, and have the organs in the freezer in less than ten minutes. And no-one would ever know. Five lives for the price of one! And other benefits on top. Who could resist such odds?
