Mike,
Your hypothetical reminds me of Richard Matheson's collection of short stories in
The Box. The first story,
Button, Button, which is fully readable
here and an extremely short read, speaks to your hypothetical. Though he isn't approaching the question in the same way that you do, he does have something to say about that proposition and about where our obligation to "others" starts and ends.
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NonaFarahnik - 17 Apr 2010