This New York Times article touches on a difficult topic.
Though we like to think of life as priceless, they have prices just like most other things. Survivors of otherwise healthy breadwinners bear measurable losses when they die suddenly, and if the death is due to an act committed by another, then a reasonable guess can be made as to what the exact loss is likely to be. The price of the life can also help policymakers determine whether the costs of particular programs are justifiable based on the price of the lives they will save.
