This article reflects on the moral legitimacy of implementing public policies for targeting advanced medical care, specifically in the case of organ and tissue transplants. The article refers to two theoretical approaches: the theory of capabilities by Nussbaum and Sen and the bioethics of protection by Schramm and Kottow, considered complementary in this context. The article begins by characterizing the issue of resource scarcity in transplantation, as well as strategies to overcome this problem. Next, the capabilities approach and bioethics of protection are briefly presented. Finally, from the perspective of the above-mentioned ethical approaches, in situations of scarce health resources such as the Brazilian case, the author contends that it would be morally justified to adopt targeted policies in advanced medical care, including organ transplantation.
Organ Transplantation; Tissue Transplantation; Medical Care