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
REGIONAL CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
National CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
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
In Prime Health
In 2022, online commerce giant Amazon sought to purchase One Medical, a membership-based and technology-driven provider of primary care and preventative medical services to over 700,000 American in both digital and physical locations. Some applaud Amazon's approach to revolutionize the sector amidst rising prescription drug costs in the United States. Others, however, worry that the deal would provide Amazon with enormous amounts of patient data and would widen disparities between those who have access to private primary care services and those who do not.
Deception in Dementia Care
Amara works in a dementia care home, where the patients are in various degrees of physical and cognitive decline. Barry suffers from dementia and can’t remember his wife died years ago. Amara wonders whether she should lie to him. Some think that lying to patients with dementia is inappropriate, but others defend lying in dementia care by saying that the diminished mental capacity of dementia patients justifies it. Are there circumstances in which we are morally required to lie to dementia patients?
Smokers Need Not Apply
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the US but prevalence of smoking is decreasing. However, this decline is not equal across various groups within the US. For several reasons, some employers are adopting anti-tobacco hiring policies, especially in healthcare settings. These policies disproportionately affect minority groups that have relatively higher smoking rates. Is it morally permissible to discriminate on the basis of tobacco use? How much control should employers have over (potential) employees' lives?
Tobacco 21
Given the health and societal benefits, should the government change the age at which citizens can purchase tobacco to 21? Should happen to people between 18 and 21 be "grandfathered" into the law? At what age can individuals make decisions for themselves?
Transgender Care and Medicaid
Should transgender care be covered under Medicare and Medicaid? Is there a morally relevant difference between treatment of gender dysphoria and other physical conditions? How does the morality of a cis and trans women's desire to have breast implants differ?
HIPAA and Mentally Ill Adult Children
HIPAA prevents family members from accessing health information about patients over 18. Some have proposed making an exception for family members of patients with serious mental illness. Should concerns about mental competency outweigh a patient's right to privacy?
Anti-Depressants for Mentally-Ill Animals
What responsibility do humans have to treat mental illness in non-human animals? Given that animals cannot "consent" to taking drugs, is giving them psychiatric drugs immoral?
Physician-Assisted Suicide
Terminally ill patients in some states can choose to die with physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Supporters argue PAS gives patients the right to die with dignity, while opponents call it a corruption of the ethical code of doctors. Under what conditions should physicians have the right to assist patients with suicide?
Health and Human Services Mandate
The US government requires that insurance providers cover sterilization, abortion, and contraceptives. The mandate exempts churches and religious organizations, but not church-affiliated nonprofits. Is this moral or immoral?