Perhaps a better analogy would be the way that much of modern medicine is enabled by access to antibiotics. Without antibiotics, the risk of post-operation death by infection would be so high as to rule out many of the procedures that we now consider safe and routine.
I would prefer a surgeon who washed his hands over one who didn't but gave me antibiotics. I've had stitches a few times, but only one real surgery. I never got antibiotics for any of those. Maybe we could skip the analogies? I don't think they help the discussion.
