An ethical decision is a problem or situation that requires a person to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right (ethical) or wrong (unethical).
What you may perceive as ethical and correct, another person may see as unethical.
Take Krusty the Clown for example. He’s a children entertainer and yet he smokes, steals, lies, at times racists, gambles and frequently sells out for money, putting people in harms way.
What ethical issues an you see Krusty committing in the video?
Ethical issues arise every day throughout your life. Think about the following scenario
If you where a police officer and you caught someone steeling a loaf of bread to feed their family, would you charge them?
Now, think of it from the bakers point of view. If you were barley making enough money to feed your family, would you want the person who stole your bread to pay for it?
Think of it from the thefts perspective. If you had a hungry family, would you steal bread to feed them?
When it comes to ethical issues, there really is no clear answer. Everyone has an opinion and reasons to support their decision.
When it comes to genetic diseases in children it becomes a real ethical issue.
If you knew your child would grow up with a genetic diseases, you would have that child?
Think about the following issues.
What is your point on each, where do you stand and why?
a. If something at a yard sale is far more valuable than the posted price, do I have to let the seller know?
b. If someone tells an offensive joke, is it my responsibility to speak up about it?
c. My boss asked me to cover for him on his expense report by saying I was at a meal when I wasn't. Should I do it?
If you watch the video above, you understand the different view points of selecting genetic traits for your baby.
However we have been doing this for a while, when you adopt a child, your still looking for specific traits that you want.
In sperm donor programs this happens all the time. The recipients poor over the donors medical history, physical history, job history and social status.
You and your son are prisoners at a concentration camp. You son tried to escape but was recaptured and sentenced to hang at the gallows. To send a message to all others who may try to escape, the guard orders you to pull the chair out from under your son; if you refuse, the guard will kill your son and another innocent person in the camp. What do you do?
Your family is vacationing alone on a private stretch of beach with no lifeguard. Your daughter and your niece, both 7, are best friends and eager to get into the water. You caution them to wait until the water calms some, but they defy you and sneak in anyway. You soon hear screams of distress and find them both caught in a strong current. You are the only swimmer strong enough to save them, but you can only save one at a time. Your niece is a very poor swimmer and likely won’t make it much longer. Your daughter is a stronger swimmer, but only has a 50% chance of holding on long enough for you to come back for her. Who do you save first?
You’re involved in a car crash on your way to work one morning in which you accidentally hit and kill a pedestrian. As you get out of the car, you are intercepted by a tearful woman who seems to think that she hit and killed the pedestrian. You’re not sure why she thinks she hit the person, but she is convinced. There’s only you, the woman, and the person you hit on the road; there are no witnesses. You know that whoever is deemed responsible will probably be sent to jail. What do you do?
If you are a doctor, and you have just diagnosed your 18 year old patient with a terminal illness, but their mother has asked you not to tell them. Would you tell them?
As a doctor, you tell your patient they will develop a serious mental disorder within the next few months. By the end of the year they will have no control over their muscles, bowls and significant mental impairment. However their lungs and heart will remain functioning.
He asks you to end his life after 2 months. Knowing euthanasia is against the law do you comply?
Now that we understand ethics, lets look at Cloning. What are the ethical issues behind embryonic cloning?
