Question: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a range of rare and endangered animal species.  Unfortunately, there is a very large deposit of oil beneath this refuge.  While it is right to protect the animals inhabiting this area, it is also right to ease the ever escalating energy crisis by drilling for oil in their habitat. What should we do?

Scenario 1:

Osama Bin Laden openly took credit for organising the September 11^th attacks on the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and United flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania.  Thousands of people were killed in these attacks.  When the United States had the opportunity to capture Osama Bin Laden and “bring him to justice”, the soldiers in the situation did not attempt to “take him alive”.  He was killed in the capture and denied his right to a fair trial.  Was justice done in this situation?

Scenario 2:

Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia have been banned due to the inhumane circumstances in which the cattle are slaughtered in Indonesia.  The Indonesian market accounts for 47% of Australia’s beef industry, so due to the ban many farmers and associated businesses will become unviable putting many Australians out of work.  Has the Australian government done the right thing?

Scenario 3:

The World Bank provides funds to developing countries to help them fight poverty and raise their living standards.  These loans often fund infrastructure like power stations.  However, the World Bank is proposing to limit its support for coal-fired power stations in the name of sustainability and tackling climate change. The result of this policy change, if it is approved, will not be more renewable power but poor people being deprived of electricity.  What should the World Bank do?

Scenario 4:

A Medically Supervised Injecting Centre is located in Kings Cross to provide heroin addicts with a safe place and sterile needles to take their drugs.  The centre does not provide the addicts with drugs, but it exists to minimise instances of overdose and the spread of disease as a result of unhygienic needles.  This centre is only available to people who are 18 years and older.  In the news recently, a 15-year-old was turned away from the centre because he was underage.  Do you think the centre should accept people who are under 18?

Scenario 5:

A health trust in the UK has proposed to stop sending obese people and smokers for certain operations. The trust is planning to stop patients who smoke, and those with a body mass index of more than 35, from having routine hip and knee surgeries because their unhealthy lifestyles allegedly lower the chance of the operations’ ‘success’.  Is this ethical?

Scenario 6:

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a range of rare and endangered animal species.  Unfortunately, there is a very large deposit of oil beneath this refuge.  While it is right to protect the animals inhabiting this area, it is also right to ease the ever escalating energy crisis by drilling for oil in their habitat.  What should we do?

Scenario 7:

A woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, John, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $ 1,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So John got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife. Should John have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?

Scenario 8:

Sally’s boat was one of only a few that regularly sailed these waters, which is why she always made a point of listening out for SOS calls.  So when she heard that an explosion had left a dozen people in the ocean, without lifeboats, she immediately set a course for them.

But then she received a second message.  Her own husband’s fishing boat was sinking and he needed help too.  The problem was that, to get to him, she would need to go even further from the drowning dozen.  And with the weather turning bad, and no other vessels responding to the distress calls, it seemed clear to Sally however she went to second would probably be dead by the time she got there.

There was not much time to think.  On the one hand, not to save her husband would seem to be a betrayal of their love and trust.  On the other, he was a good man, so wouldn’t he also see the sense in saving twelve people instead of just one?  She knew where she wanted to head first, but not where she should.

Scenario 9:

The ‘Bayside Magicians’ senior netball team has won the past nine games and have just made the finals.

The supporters of the 'Magicians' are delighted, and a big company is talking about becoming a major sponsor.

The 'Magicians' started the season badly, largely because Lara, the team’s best player, suddenly left to play in the national league. The team have been much weaker without her.

Zoe plays with the 'Magicians'. She is a shooter. Last year she was in the reserve side, with little hope of playing senior grade netball. Zoe worked hard on her fitness last summer, and was invited to train with the seniors.

Following Lara’s sudden departure from the team, Zoe was picked as a member of the senior squad. Although she spent little time on court early on in the season, she continued to work hard, and took on board all the advice she got from the coach.

About half way through the season the coach started to give her a lot more court time. It was at about this time that the team's winning streak began.

Lara has just returned to the ‘Magicians’ after not getting much game time in the national netball league.

Lara is available to replace Zoe and play for the 'Magicians' in the finals series.

What do you think the Coach should do?

Scenario 10:

A small rural town is attempting to raise funds in order to add a much needed children’s wing to the local hospital.

They have had several fund raising events and the local council also contributed though it looks like another 2 years before they will have enough funds to complete the wing.

A tobacco company has just offered to pay for the health care centre to be built. They only have one condition: that the wing is named after their company.

What should you do?

Scenario 11:

You are on a cruise ship which has hit an iceberg and is starting to sink.  The lifeboats are being lowered from the deck, but one lifeboat has hit the side of the ship putting a hole in the side of the raft.  There are 10 people in the boat and to prevent it sinking, you quickly work out that by having 9 people working for 10 minutes while 1 person rests you can bail the water out with their hands, quick enough to keep the water at bay and preventing it from sinking, but you have to continually keep it up to ensure that the boat doesn’t sink. By being able to rest one person you are greatly able to increase the length of time you can keep the boat afloat, however if the rescue team doesn’t turn up you calculate that within 5 hours the boat will sink and you will all die.

While taking your break, you glance over to another lifeboat and notice that a friend of yours who you met on the cruise is there and has noticed your predicament. He is signalling for you to come over and join them on their boat so you don’t have to continue bailing water out. There is only just enough room for one more person. You also notice that their boat is moving away rapidly with the current, but your boat can’t keep up because the hole is affecting its buoyancy.

You estimate that if you jump ship, you will force all 9 remaining crew members to bail water continuously, which will reduce the total time they can stay afloat to just 2 hours, but will ensure that you will be able to live long enough to be rescued.

If you stay aboard, you will not have another chance to jump ship, and there’s no guarantee that the rescue will arrive in 5 hours, meaning you will drown, however by staying you give everyone a better chance of survival.

What will you do?

Scenario 12:

A madman who has threatened to explode several bombs in crowded areas has been apprehended. Unfortunately, he has already planted the bombs and they are scheduled to go off in a short time. It is possible that hundreds of people may die. The authorities cannot make him divulge the location of the bombs by conventional methods. He refuses to say anything. In exasperation, some high level official suggests torture. This would be illegal, of course, but the official thinks that it is nevertheless the right thing to do in this desperate situation. Do you agree? If you do, would it also be morally justifiable to torture the mad bomber’s innocent wife if that is the only way to make him talk? Why?