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

2016-2017 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2016-2017 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Banning Religious Garb

Supporters of various French bans of religious garb argue that the laws promote national unity, decrease security risks, and protect Muslim women from oppression. Opponents argue that these bans unfairly target Muslims and infringe upon individual rights of freedom of expression and religion. When, if ever, is banning religious garb morally justified? Does wearing certain types of religious garb oppress women?

Read More
2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Let Them Eat Cake?

Some bakeries have refused to make wedding cakes for same-sex weddings because their religious beliefs prohibit them from taking part in the celebration. If a private business owner refuses to sell a product to people because they plan to use it in a ceremony they religiously disapprove of, are they engaging in discrimination?

Read More
2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Religion at the Hospital

An emergency room physician, Betsy, knows that one of her patients, Steve, is going to die in the next day or so. Steve is not religious in any way and Betsy believes that unless people have faith, they will suffer eternal damnation. The hospital has a rule against medical professionals trying to spread their faith among patients, but Betsy believes the importance of Steve's eternal wellbeing outweighs the importance of hospital rules.

Read More
2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2015-2016 National Case Set Katie Leonard

VT Vaccine

Amidst growing concern about undermining herd immunity, Vermont banned the use of philosophical, but not religious, exemption to the vaccination requirement for public school students. Do parents have a moral duty to vaccinate their kids? Is there a morally significant difference between deeply held secular and religious beliefs?

Read More
2013-2014 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2013-2014 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Conscientious Objection

All male US residents must register for the draft, but exemptions exist for "conscientious objectors." People can object if their religion prohibits participation in combat or they have strongly held moral objections to war. Under what circumstances, if any, should someone be able to object to military service?

Read More
2012-2013 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2012-2013 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Conjoined Twin Separation

One conjoined twin (Jodie) was born anatomically sound while the other (Mary) had severe abnormalities. Doctors determined that both twins would die if kept together, but Mary would die and Jodie would survive if surgically separated. The parents, devout Catholics, opposed separating the twins but the court ruled against them and ordered the twins be separated.

Read More