Vincent Ruggiero Thinking Critically about Ethical Issues
Vincent Ruggiero Thinking Critically about Ethical Issues
1. A number of medical centers around the United States now offer “finders’ fees” to physicians for referring patients to researchers who are conducting trials of new therapies, the side effects of which are not yet known. One researcher, for example, was offering physicians a $350 payment for each referred patient who enrolled in the research project. Many physicians accept the fees and make the referrals, apparently without suffering pangs of conscience. Are their actions ethical? Explain
2. A man is falsely accused of a crime and spends fourteen years in jail. Finally, his accuser is overcome with remorse and admits having lied. When the man is released, he sues the stat for wrongful imprisonment and seeks monetary compensation. The courts rule that the state has no legal responsibility. But does it have moral responsibility? Why or why not?
3. According to Vincent Ruggiero..Do you agree with Ruggiero’s assessment of the intimate relationship between ethics and the law? That is, can you think of any other ( non-ethical) explanations for why we (now/no longer) have these particular laws? If so, what would those reasons be if not ethical ones? And furthermore, what might that mean for Ruggiero’s initial characterization of the relationship between ethics and the law in general?
