Case Study: An Unlikely Donor

1) View HarvardJustice.org, Episode #1. According to the principle of utility, we should always do whatever will produce the greatest amount of happiness and whatever is necessary to prevent the greatest amount of unhappiness. But what if the only way to produce happiness, and to prevent unhappiness, is to harm or even kill innocent people? Think about some of the insights you have gained from writing your short papers. Then, consider what you have learned from HarvardJustice.org, Episode #1. Identify two different religious perspectives that might shed more light on the morality or immorality of the Captain’s decision to kill the cabin boy, the weakest amongst the group, so the rest can feed on his blood and body to survive?

The Five Precepts

Would we be better served if we leave religion out of these discussions? Explain your thinking.

I believe that we can consider religious ideas and concepts when addressing ethical questions, however I do not think it is always necessary. I think it is a good idea to have these concepts in mind, where they can guide a decision, but I do not think they should always be the reason for the final say. I think including religion in ethical discussions would create more conflict if two people believe in different religions. “Regardless of the legality surrounding the sale of organs, Carole is bound by her professional nursing ethics and the ethics of the health care delivery system. She raises the question of the appropriateness of the informed consent that Mr. Simonies and Mrs. Amin signed” (Wolfe, 1999). This quote shows that one does not always need to consider religious ideas when addressing ethical questions. Ethical standards from a professional viewpoint provide more answers and can therefore create a more concrete discussion on the ethicality of paying people for donating

When I traveled to Labadee, Haiti, on a cruise, the part of the island was closed off to the cruisers only. However, the security guards were actually citizens of Haiti who blocked off Labadee from the rest of Haiti. The guards let their children into Labadee to take food from what the cruise ship was serving to their cruisers. They came with plastic bags and you can see them storing food in the bags to bring home. Usually, when we see poverty in the US regarding food, you either see EBT cards given to cashiers as payment at a food store, you see someone on the side of the road asking for money to purchase food, or you see poor people going to homeless shelters were food is given out. However, in Haiti the children had to steal food for the benefit of their family, as there were no other means for them. The children were skinny and it felt as if the only way they were going to eat was if they stole the