CASE Library

Explore The Issues that Matter.

We excitedly invite you to browse, search, and explore our newly redesigned library of over 300 case studies which render some of the most complex and controversial moral and political issues of our time. These cases were formerly used for official NHSEB competitions at the Regional, Divisional, and National Championship levels. They are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses.

The NHSEB Case Library is an excellent tool for competitive preparation, internal or intramural competition, or beyond the context of the Ethics Bowl activity completely—as a classroom resource for Grades 9-12 and beyond.

Featured Cases

NAVIGATING THE LIBRARY

NHSEB’s Case Library is now fully browsable by individual case, or by Case Set—using the filters below. Or, if you already know a bit about what you’re looking for, the entire library of over 300 Ethics Bowl cases is newly indexed, referenced, and searchable by title, topic, keyword, year, and category. Each individual case entry contains the full text of the case and discussion questions as they originally appeared for competitive use, all references assembled in hyperlinked footnotes, and additional contextual resources curated by NHSEB HQ.

CASE SET COLLECTION

FIND AN ETHICS BOWL CASE

ATTRIBUTION AND CITATION

All National High School Ethics Bowl cases are the intellectual property of the Parr Center for Ethics, and all are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses once retired from use in NHSEB competitions. This library represents thousands of hours of work from our Contributing Authors, Editors, and others. Please do not reproduce NHSEB cases or sets—in part or in whole—without attribution, or modify the text of individual cases or sets. If you reproduce or make reference to NHSEB cases from this library (e.g., in classroom materials, academic papers, etc.), please attribute and/or cite those materials:

National High School Ethics Bowl (Ed.), <YEAR>. “<Case Title>.” National High School Ethics Bowl Case Library. UNC Parr Center for Ethics: Chapel Hill, NC. http://nhseb.org/case-library

Browse The Library

Involuntary Commitment

Involuntary commitment, when an addict's family admits them into a facility without their consent, is becoming increasingly popular. They often see it as the last line of defense and if the addict won't do it for themselves it's up to them. Some states include prison into some of the facilites an addict can be admitted to instead of a regular rehabilition center. Is it wrong to interfere with someone's life if it is for a perceived better good? Is admitting an addict to a prison around violent criminals morally wrong?

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Project Prevention

Project Provention aims to stop drug addicts from having kids due to the negative stigma of how they treat their children. There are a number of critics u[on this topic, due to the fact that the project seems to be taking advantage of people when they are in no shape to make the judgement of sterilization or not. Is it wrong to offer this to someone going through a drug addiction? Do drug addicts hold an obligation tot their potential children to get better first?

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Is it O.K. to Punch a Nazi?

A public racist Richard Spencer got punched by an unknown assailant during an interview. The incident went viral through memes and online coverage. Spencer now claims that he is worried it might happen again if he spoke his views. Some people think violence is the only thing most blatant racist respond to, and others think since Spencer is still a human being he should not have to worry about being harmed. Is violence a justifiable method in changing extreme political views?

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Flying High

Traveling can bring about great memories, but what most are starting to realize is that those memories come with a huge contribution to climate change. On each trip planes emit an unhealthy amount of greenhouse gases. Although, if one person decided to quit using planes and that way of travel, that would not stop the planes from taking flight everyday. Is there any point in stopping? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives?

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Billionaire Backfire

After the burning of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris wealthy indivuduals rushed to donate their money, giving the cathedral more than what it needed. Even though this act contributed to rebuilding something that symbolized great things, some are sketipcal on why the wealthy acted so fast and efficient for a building, meanwhile they turn a blind eye to bigger issues such as hunger, poverty, environmental issues, and etc. still exist. Others say there is nothing wrong with prioritizing something of personal value when it comes to choosing when or when not to donate. Is there a moral obligation to pick the issue with the most impact? Should the wealthy be called out on how they spend their money?

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Belief vs. Action

Kayla, an environmental ethics teacher, has just been asked to be the adviser of an environmental club due to her perceived envolvement with preaching on how to make the world a better place. Although, Kayla's personal life is an exact opposite of what she teaches in the classroom. She feels like a fraud taking this position, but figures that being able to convince others to change their ways holds more weight than what she allows herself to do. Should Kayla come clean and still decide to advise the club? Is she making the right decision by saying nothing and agreeing?

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Teacher Strikes

In multiple states teachers held a strike to garner attention towards their low wages. Students depend on their teachers to give quality lessons in order to learn material and it is unlikely this will happen if the teacher is stressed out with their low wage. On the other hand, teachers going on strikes causes students to miss these lessons completely, as well as cause headache for some families that depend on their children going to school. Does this violate a teacher's duty? Should states be more appealing towards their teachers?

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Extra! Extra! Don’t Read About It!

Retired Nike executive Erik Hagerman has decided to block all aspects of the news from his life in the name of self care. He feels that since his decision to stay out of politics, his mental health has improved tremendously. Some critize this since part of being an American consist of being an active citizen, especially when it comes to politics. A man of his stature can help in ways most can't. On the other hand, some say that it is his life, so he can do what he wants as long as it makes him happy. Everyone avoids things that stress them out and Hagerman is doing just that. Is Erik Hagerman failing some kind of moral obligation to the country?

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Companionship or Commodification?

There is a difference between service dogs and ESAs (Emotional-Suport Animals). Service dogs spend hours and hours training on how to be both extremely obedient and helpful to those with disabilities before ever publicly interacting with one. ESAs on the other hand usually get their certificates from online and don't require much training if any. Allison sees a problem with this, given that when it is usually an ESA that acts poorly, trained service dogs receive the bad rep from their actions as well. Some people only label their pets as ESAs as an excuse to get them into places they usually can't. Should there be more standards set in place when it comes to labeling a pet as an ESA? Should the distinction between service dogs and ESAs be more distinct?

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To Forgive or Not to Forgive?

The student debt crisis is steadily increasing by the year. Candidates like Bernie Sanders promise to totally delete all debt, while some promise to severely decrease it. Despite how good this sounds, there are a lot of critics surrounding this. Some say it's not fair for others who have handled their financials in a way where they need no loans. Would this policy be unfair to those who went about things differently? Should this policy be accepted to strengthen the middle class, therefore strengthing the economy since they'd be able to actively participate?

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Old-Fashioned Grandparents

Sam has noticed her grandparents have displayed on multiple occassions racist and transphobic traits, as well as disrespect for the environment. Her parents tell her to not attempt to talk to them about it because it would be seen as disrespectful and pointless. Should Sam attempt to talk to her grandparents about their ignorance, despite the chance of it damaging their relationship?

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Forced Chemotherapy

17 year old Cassandra, battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, refuses to take chemotherapy due to the harmful toxic chemicals not being worth the decrease in life quality. Her family and her would rather explore other options, but since she is a minor and that decision will likely lead to her death, Supreme Court has the power to deny her opinion, forcing her to undertake chemo. Is it morally correct to force such a decision upon a minor, even if it's her life and she doesn't agree with it?

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A Grave Dilemma

A city ordinance prohibits using a historical grave for recreational purposes, including walking a dog, but Jade does it anyway. She figures that since she's never seen anyone visit the grave to honor someone, and that others ignore the law by walking and exercising, it's okay for her to do it as well, and that she would leave if someone asked her to. Is there anything wrong with Jade's actions, or anyone's actions involving using the gravesite for their own recreational purposes despite the law?

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Plantation Wedding

Mallory and Ross want to have a beautiful wedding like any other couple. They both grew up in the South and their families heritage traces back to pre civil-war days and slavery. Their families want them to get married on a plantation that has a good chance of being connected to slavery, and offered to fund every dime being spent. The couple thinks the plantation is the most beatiful of option, and not having to pay helps as well. On the other hand, the couple doesn't want their marriage to begin on the backbone of something resembling such a hateful and harmful period of time. Should Mallory and Ross choose to have their dream wedding paid for, or choose a less wanted and more expensive option in avoidance of what the plantation symbolizes.

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Bearing Witness, Bringing Change, or Trauma Porn?

Many don't know the true reality of what goes on in American prison systems. Photographs give people from the outside a chance to see the horrific violence that actually occurs. Some say these photographs would encourage others to strive for social justice , or at least to bear witness to the harsh realities of jail. Others critize these images due to the potential mental harm they can cause, rendering them an attempt that causes more pain than good. Is there any moral value or benefit to outsiders viewing these images, or are the greusome photos too vulgar for mostly no other reason than negatively impacting the viewers' mind?

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