Ethics Cases for Discussion
Case #1
A
22-year-old woman has just discovered that she is pregnant, two months before
she was to go to medical school. Though she hopes to have children someday, she
had planned to wait until her career was established, and she had been using a
diaphragm whenever she and her boyfriend had sex. She believes that pregnancy and motherhood would be very serious
obstacles to successfully completing her medical degree, and that she is not
financially or emotionally prepared to be a parent. Her boyfriend feels the same.
She is considering obtaining an abortion.
Case #2
A
purchasing agent for a department store chain has just discovered that a valued
supplier, who has been providing an excellent line of clothing at very low prices,
is employing 'sweatshop' labor. The
workers are recruited abroad and promised a job in the US. Upon arrival they are confined in the
manufacturing facility and told that they must stay until they have worked off
the fees for their transportation, etc. (It turns out that this takes several
years.) By US standards their wages and working conditions are
unacceptable. They are beaten if they
try to escape. The purchasing agent is
under intense pressure to keep costs as low as possible and the department
store chain is under a good deal of pressure from competitors. The agent is considering continuing to buy
from the supplier and pretending no knowledge of the sweatshops.
Case #3
A
man has just discovered that a friend of his is cheating on his wife. He is sure that the woman, who he also
regards as a close friend, would want to be told about her husband's
infidelity. He is also sure that the
news will bring her a great deal of unhappiness, and he thinks it might lead to
a divorce. He is not sure what effect the disclosure will have on his own
relationships with his two friends, but he thinks it will be hard to maintain
both friendships, and he might lose them both.
The couple have two young children and have been married (and apparently
reasonably happy together) for ten years.
He is wondering whether he should tell the woman what he has learned
about her husband.
Case #4
Members
of a legislature are considering passing a law that would make it illegal to
discriminate against people with disabilities.
The law would require any organization which provides goods or services
or employment (businesses, churches,
schools, etc.) to make whatever physical or organizational modifications are
needed to make it possible for disabled people to participate (shop, work,
worship, etc.) as readily as other people do.
Case #5
A
member of Congress serves on a committee that considers legislation regulating
the oil industry. Representatives of
oil companies have offered her a very large campaign contribution, if she will
do her best to ensure the passage of legislation favorable to their
interests. She believes this
legislation would not be in the best interests of most of her constituents, but
she thinks that the money would virtually assure her re-election and that she
would then be able to get other legislation passed which would be so beneficial
that it would far outweigh the harm done by the oil industry's bill. She is considering whether to accept the
contribution and do as they wish.
Case #6
An
accounting graduate has been offered a job working for a company that is known
to make most of its profits from its operations in a certain Third World
country. In that country wages are so low that most children are malnourished,
no environmental or safety regulations are imposed on businesses, and a corrupt
and brutal government uses violent repression to keep people from organizing to
change any of these circumstances. The
job would be personally challenging and a good career move, but it would offer
him no opportunity to influence the company's business practices abroad. He is wondering whether he should accept the
job.