Ethical dilemmas

[JustBreathe]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am in the middle of trying to write a series of short, simple ethical dilemmas that could be presented to the general public. Of course, they should not have a "right" answer. They also need to be in third person rather than first or second. Here is an example:

Stephen is a prosecutor in Los Angeles. He feels that two men have taken part in a murder. However, the only way he can get a solid conviction for one is to grant the other immunity in exchange for his testimony. It will mean setting a murderer free in return for the chance of putting another away. What should he do?

They can involve ANY ethical topic (not just law). Can anyone help? I've written about ten and I'm drawing blanks now.

 

[DrMike24]

i dont know if this is what you are looking for but I have heard this used against anti-stem cell people... lets say you are in a fertility clinic, and there is a three month old baby and 12 embryos... a fire breaks out, but you can only take one.. which do you take? according to the anti-stem cell people, an embryo is a life.. that would mean 12 to 1....hope that helps

 

[kirexhana]

i dont know if this is what you are looking for but I have heard this used against anti-stem cell people... lets say you are in a fertility clinic, and there is a three month old baby and 12 embryos... a fire breaks out, but you can only take one.. which do you take? according to the anti-stem cell people, an embryo is a life.. that would mean 12 to 1....hope that helps

mmm, i dunno about that. anti-stem cell people do believe that embryo = life, but in this case, they (and I) would probably prioritize the baby, because embryos are only the potential for life. If saved from the fire, the chances of an embryo attaching to the endometrial wall and becoming a baby is less than already having a baby.

the current ethical issues with human embryonic stem cell research is that discarding embryos for scientific purposes is discarding the potential for life. religious conservatives propose that even the potential is valuable, not whether it's more valuable than life in the form of a baby.

Good question though. it made me think!

 

[dajimmers]

You're on the late shift in a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and have 4 babies hooked up to breathing machines. The power goes out, and the generator doesn't kick in. You can only hand-pump two babies at a time. What do you do?

Example options: Run for help, help only the two weakest, help only the two strongest, try to help all four by switching...