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Quotation from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
“Thus, to save a life, it may not only be allowable, but a duty, to steal, or take by force, the necessary food or medicine, or to kidnap, and compel to officiate, the only qualified medical practitioner”
Utilitarianism, Chapter V (7th edition (1879))
Mill's example of a case in which another social duty overrides an ordinary maxim of justice.
Citation: "Thus, to save a life, it may not only be allowable, but a duty, to steal, or take by force, the necessary food or medicine, or to kidnap, and compel to officiate, the only qualified medical practitioner" — John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter V (7th edition (1879)). (id utilitarianism-q15)
Portrait: John Stuart Mill by London Stereoscopic Company, c1870, London Stereoscopic Company, Public domain.
