Vindicating Lourdes: In Defense of Paid Care Workers' Claims to Inheritance

This paper asks what, if anything, people who die after they have been looked after by a paid care worker might owe to that worker, discussing a topic that has so far been neglected in the literature on the ethics of inheritance. Although previously ignored, this issue is especially interesting if one considers the number of historical examples of inheritance claims made by paid care workers, whose discussion called for more work. Moreover, it is worth considering that the challenges raised in this paper will, in all likelihood, become more common, especially if one considers the increasing care needs stemming from demographic aging. I use the case of Lourdes Maria Cambra (1922–1999) and Carlota Pereira de Queiroz (1892–1982) as an example to guide the discussion. Lourdes worked for 24 years for the prominent Carlota, and saw her expectation to receive an inheritance from Carlota dismissed. I will show that this expectation was justified, first, by arguing that a caring relationship was nurtured and that through an inheritance, that relationship can be recognized. Second, that inheritance functions as overdue compensation for the sacrifices a care worker undertook for their care recipient. Hence, the arguments in this paper contribute to fill a gap in the literature, while hopefully helping when contemporary cases are discussed. Importantly, they vindicate someone like Lourdes. By discussing her story, I aim to contribute to rectify the injustice that was done, even if Lourdes' grievance cannot be resolved.