Who Dies First ... or Who is Neglected First?

Who should MDs let die in a pandemic? Report offers answers Did you ever have to play that game where there are 10 (or however many) people in a boat and only room for nine and someone has to get thrown overboard ... who will it be? Apparently people really play that game in real life. What if there was a pandemic with more people to be treated than was possible and/or more than there was medicine for, who would be treated first and who would be neglected first? Physicians along with Homeland Security, the CDC and others (no religious leaders or ethicists listed) came up with a list of who should not get lifesaving care first if care needed to be rationed. It's a list that is recommended to hospitals and in theory every health care institution should follow it to provide uniform care. Here's the list: People older than 85. Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings. Severely burned patients older than 60. Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease. Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes. Interesting that this would break federal health care laws regarding age discrimination and "If followed to a tee, such rules could exclude care for the poorest, most disadvantaged citizens who suffer disproportionately from chronic disease and disability". So it appears that how you care for yourself now will effect your health care choices during pandemic. Don't create yourself a "severe chronic disease". How will the church respond? Will we sacrifice our well being for the wellness of others and be a witness to the love of God? Or will we be first in line? And is one a more Biblical option than the other? I heard a sermon recently about Christians who lived in the Roman Empire that when a pandemic hit a village or city, the Christians stayed and cared for the sick while the wealthy left. When the wealthy returned and saw what the Christians had done, many were converted to Christ. I wonder what the Christian witness will be during a pandemic in our times.