Find case studies and scenarios on a variety of fields in applied ethics.
Cases can also be viewed by the following categories:
For permission to reprint cases, submit requests to ethics@scu.edu.
Looking to draft your own case studies? This template provides the basics for writing ethics case studies in technology (though with some modification it could be used in other fields as well).
All Cases
Obey Law on Criminal Reporting for a Pregnant Mother Addicted to Heroin?
An obstetrician treating a heroin-addicted mother considers whether to comply with state law requiring medical professionals to report drug-addicted pregnant women to law enforcement for child endangerment.
A Second Chance at Drug Treatment?
A drug treatment counselor considers whether to allow a patient a second chance in the drug-treatment program, against stated program rules.
Appropriate Level of Expertise? (Spiritual Care/Medical Care)
A religious cleric considers how to support a member of the community struggling with depression and alcoholism, who declines recommended referral to expert medical treatment.
Appropriate Level of Expertise? (Primary Care/Specialty Care)
A primary care physician considers if s/he can competently provide treatment to a patient who may have a serious psychiatric disorder and does not wish to go to another doctor.
Request to Withhold Diagnosis in Medical Record for Fear of Stigma
A physician considers whether to honor a promising medical student’s request to withhold a diagnosis of depression from her record. The medical student fears a record of depression could hurt her career.
Confidentiality and Duty to Warn
A psychologist considers whether there is a duty to warn a couple whom the jealous patient has expressed a desire to stalk and frighten.
Decline of Treatment; Involuntary Commitment
An adolescent medicine physician considers how to help a potentially suicidal non-minor young adult who declines treatment. Potential options include the possibility of petitioning the court to coerce inpatient treatment.
Use of Placebo (Deceptive Treatment)
A psychiatrist considers whether to use a placebo (a fake treatment) on a patient whom the clinician thinks might benefit.
Open Source AI: To Release or Not To Release the GPT-2 Synthetic Text Generator
An AI Ethics Case Study
Concern is high over possible misuses of new AI technology which generates text without human intervention.
A Museum Meets a Controversial Employer
Is it ethical for a museum to accept a donation from a donor who has been accused of poor labor practices?