Oh, agreed. I suspect doing so would just exacerbate the supply/demand issue further.

Why not? A pilot that works beyond their duty day will get a manslaughter charge if the flight results in the death of a passenger or person on the ground. Whats the difference?

It's an extremely unusual situation where if a person isn't flown immediately, they will die. It isn't that rare for people to need immediate medical attention.

Morally? Nothing.

Economically? Everything.

We have an oversupply of pilots, so we can afford to be harsh/abusive without fear of it boomeranging.