fandomhigh | Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

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ethics

Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

"Over the course of this term, we've looked a lot at your personal moral stance on things. Today we're going to be looking more generally - on how morals are taught to children, often insidiously.

"A good medium for this is fairy tales. Every culture has them - stories that are told to children, bearing little moral gems to shape and guide. The first thing I want you to do is a select a fairy tale. Don't worry if it's not one I'll know, just pick one you're familiar with."

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"Bringing moral development back to you - because this is our last session, and ultimately this course has always been about you, the individual. Lawrence Kohlberg suggested six categories of moral justification. I want you to put yourself into one of them."

Tara gestures to the board. "Here is your scenario."

A woman is near death from a unique kind of cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000. He asked the doctor scientist who discovered the drug for a discount or let him pay later. But the doctor scientist refused.
Should Heinz break into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?

"Please not that your reasons are far, far more important than whether you decide he should or not."

"Probably not. There's no guarantee that he'd steal the right drug or administer the right dosage. He could even kill her trying to play doctor with the wrond drug and/or the wrong dosage, and then he'd be up a creek. Possibly for murder, even."
~~can't he just ues his ketchup-y powers to save her?~~

"I agree. It would be entirely too dangerous for him to deliver an experimental drug. What he should do is file a complaint with the medical ethics board. It's not right of the doctor to withhold a potentially life saving treatment for financial reasons."

"And if he was worried about this," John said, nodding at her, "he should totally threaten the doc. Cuz that'll work better. Or, hell, barter."

"Most likely the doctor scientist is under the employ of the dastardly HMO conglomerate, and therefore any act the man takes to ensure freedom from sickness on behalf of his wife is within reason and just."

"Assuming the doctor didn't refuse because he thought the treatment wouldn't work on her, I'd say yeah, the husband should raid the place. Maybe he should take it like a man if he ends up going to jail for it, but his wife's life is more important."

"I think he should. A human life is worth way more than $4,000, and even if he gets caught, he'll have saved his wife. This is like what we were talking about last week, there theft is sometimes .... not wrong, but unfair. Stealing the drug may be unfair, but letting the woman die is actually wrong."

"So long as he knows what he's doing and knows what will happen to him if he does it, and he accepts that, then yeah he should do it. It could save his wife. If he's willing to go to jail for that, then he should do it. Saving people you care about is more important than self-preservation. It might deprive the scientist of money, but if it's $4000 per dosage the scientist can afford to go without for this once."

"I think he should, if only for the chance to possibly save his wife. It's horrible for the doctor to be so unreasonable about the payment, and if he isn't willing to try to help, he shouldn't be a doctor in the first place."

"I would break into that lab and steal the drugs," Angel said, "but that's because saving someone I love is more important to me than helping that guy's business. I know he and his family need the money too, but there's other ways he can get that cash. Seems to me like this scenario is presenting only one way to save the wife."

"Any chance to save somebody you love, you should take it. Sure, in an ideal world you shouldn't steal, but drug companies shouldn't be charging more than people can afford either. Life's important. A hell of a lot more important than any consequences you might face for stealing. Even if it doesn't end up working, at least you tried. Heinz should definitely steal the drug."

::thinks:: Well. If nothin' else, then ya if she's gonna die without it, he should. Her life's worth more than some currency. But there's always the chance with that, that he'd mess her up more since he's not a doctor or anythin'. Probably would be a better idea to steal the *money*, pay the doctor, and get her treated safely.

"Of course he should. She's his wife. How could he live with himself if he just let her die without even trying to save her?"

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Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

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