As the final work for this course, write a 3-4 page essay that focuses on personal responsibility as it relates to the AIDS epidemic.
This paper offers an opportunity to consider the ways in which the spread of infectious disease produces ethical challenges for us as citizens and individuals. Your essay should explore an ethical dilemma raised by the AIDS crisis in which core values (such as health, security, freedom, privacy, and so on) come into conflict. You should then take a stand on how you would resolve this ethical dilemma, supporting your argument logically with reference to your own values and cultural background. Additionally, you should justify how you would apply this ethical perspective to a real life situation.
Ethical questions you might consider include (but are not limited to) the following:
What responsibility do you have to protect your own health?
What responsibility do you have to protect the health of people with whom you have an intimate relationship?
What responsibility do you have to protect the health of children and youth?
What responsibility do you have to promote the health of the poor and those with few resources?
What responsibility do you have to promote the health of people in other parts of the world?
What responsibility do you have to care for the sick?
What responsibility do you have to ensure every member of your community has access to medical care?
What responsibility do you have to advocate for improved health care policies?
What responsibility do you have to dispel stigma against people who are HIV+?
What responsibility do you have to educate others about crucial health care issues?
Do not attempt to answer all of these questions. Pick one or a couple of related questions as a starting point for building your ethical argument. As with all argumentative essays, you should make a claim in your introductory paragraph that you then defend and support in the body of the paper. Remember that the most interesting arguments emerge out of conflict and take a stand on an issue about which there is significant difference of opinion.
Though this paper discusses your personal values and ethical stance, it should still be written with an audience in mind. Be careful not to assume your audience will automatically share your views or your cultural and religious background. Explain your point of view and justify your position with regard to the selected ethical dilemma.
Make sure your essay takes a clear ethical stance and supports it in a well organized, articulate manner. Proof read carefully to ensure clarity of communication and to eliminate distracting errors. The paper will be evaluated for ethical reasoning, persuasiveness, cohesiveness, and clarity.
The essay should be submitted online here by midnight on the due date to receive credit.
Address questions to Prof. Lund at ************* .
