Stay Out of the Sunbed! Paternalistic Reasons for Restricting the Use of Sunbeds

Abstract

Stay out of the Sunbed! Paternalistic Reasons for Restricting the Use of Sunbeds The use of tanning beds has been identified as being among the most significant causes of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Accordingly, the activity is properly seen as one that involves profound harm to self. The paper examines paternalistic reasons for restricting sunbed usage. We argue that both so-called soft and hard paternalistic arguments support prohibiting the use of sunbeds. We make the following three arguments: (i) an argument from oppressive patterns of socialization suggesting that the autonomous nature of the conduct in question is questionable; (ii) an argument from so-called evaluative delusions in which individuals attach incorrect weights to some of their values; (iii) a strictly hard paternalistic argument appealing to the harm in itself (as opposed to failures of rationality or agency) pertaining to the use of sunbeds.

Is Anti-Paternalism Enough?

“…There is no clear nonarbitrary cut-off point to be invoked. On the implied rationale, some arguments for restrictions on certain risky activities may come out as compelling (Andersen and Midtgaard, 2016; Grill and Voigt, 2016). To be sure, a number of considerations go into such arguments.…”

“…Sometimes we act imprudently. For example, we smoke, we jump from heights into water, or we use sunbeds (Andersen and Midtgaard, 2016; Grill and Voigt, 2016; Snelling, 2014). Although such acts are typically readily avoidable to us, it is still regrettable if the risk involved materializes, leaving us in a thoroughly bad or insufficient situation.…”