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

2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

To Pledge or Not to Pledge?

Aria believes the institution of college Greek life is incompatible with her desires to address racial injustice and promote female empowerment. However, she feels the community it could bring would improve her mental heath––maybe she could even use the sorority's substantial audience to promote change from the inside. To what extent is Aria obligated to sacrifice personal satisfaction for the betterment of her community?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Do Innocents Pay the Price?

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. In response, Western nations have implemented an aggressive series of escalating sanctions against the Russian state and individual powerful oligarchs. One such example is the Wimbledon tennis tournament's ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes, impacting a handful of top players including Danill Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka, the second and fourth best men's and women's players, respectively. To what extent, if any, are individuals responsible for the actions of their governments?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Forget Me Not

For sixty years, Joan has been married to Roy. He recently developed severe Alzheimer's and fails to remember her when she visits him. Joan has fallen out of love for him and, instead, has developed romantic interest in her old friend Dennis. What is Joan's moral obligation to her husband, Roy? Is engaging in a relationship with Dennis morally permissible?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Floss or Get Lost

Dr. Pearly White is a world-renowned general dentist who has devleoped a reputation for shaming his patients with lackluster flossing habits. By not flossing, his patients put themselves at unnecessary risk for health issues. However, his ostracization tactics lead to increased dental anxiety and aversion to returning for six-month cleanings. Is it morally permissible for a medical professional to ignore patients' feelings in the name of health?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Not In My Backyard!

Arevia Power's Battle Born Solar Project would have created 2,600 jobs for Nevada and contributed to its goal of producing more renewable sources. However, residents argue it would ruin the beauty and character of their neighborhood. Under what circumstances is it morally permissible to align with community preferences over economic and environmental improvements?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Happy To Be Alone

Happy the elephant has lived in the Bronx Zoo's one-acre enclosure for forty-five years. The Nonhuman Rights Project garnered 1.5 million signatures in support of her release and personhood status, while zookeepers assure protestors that she receives extensive care and interaction. Some suggest ruling in favor of Happy's personhood would provide an opportunity to consider the improved treatment of non-human sentient beings, whereas others point out that doing so would drive up research costs and threaten to impede critical medical breakthroughs that benefit humans and animals. Should Happy be granted personhood status?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

So Sue Me!

After Gawker Media published a scandalous video of wrestler Hulk Hogan, he sued the company for privacy violation, and a third party invesited $10 million to help Hogan win. Aside from personal motivations, litigation financing can be a profitable investment. At its best, the practice can help poor and powerless underdogs achieve reparations for the harms rich and powerful Goliaths have caused them. At its worst, the practice can stimulate further fiscal corruption within the U.S. legal system and ruin businesses on account of mere personal vendettas. Should litigation financing be permissible? Or does it carry too many troubling risks?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Helping the Bush Boys?

In Vernon, Ontario, two teenagers camped behind a grocery store. When onlooker Tami sought to help, the boys claimed to have been disowned by off-the-grid parents. Tami and others secured them basic necessities and a room in a hostel, though others desired more information before agreeing to help. It was a hoax: the boys were from a loving, middle-class California family and simply wanted be on their own. When the truth came out, Tami claimed she did not regret helping; other helpers felt manipulated. Is there a relevant relationship between charity and what a donation is used for?

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2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

I’m Afraid

In 2022, Google employee Blake Lemoine publicly suggested that the artificial intelligence program LaMDA (Langauge Model for Dialogue Applications) had become sentient upon its claim that it was "afraid of being turned off." To protect it, Lemoine attempted sought lawyer representation for LaMDA. Some philosophers suggest that, because harming a sentient being is morally high stakes, we ought to be cautious when sentience is known. Others point out that powerful artificial intelligence doesn't require sentience and that a non-human, intelligent labor force might be socially useful. Ought we extend moral consideration to artificial intelligence?

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Alex Richardson Alex Richardson

Unwarranted Interventions?

Police officers are often present in emergency rooms with the guise of security, which makes it easy for them to get private patient information. Some states have mandatory reporting requirements where hospital staff are required to involve the police. Critics of this practice argue that it is opportunistic at the hands of police, and them to use hospitals as "traps" for those not yet convicted of crimes. However, this practice can also make hospital workers feel more at ease and effectively hold suspects responsible for their actions.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Tips for Good Living

Ronald and Tina have co-owned a beloved café for 10 years. Their current payment system for their workers has baseline hourly pay, which is almost three times as much as the federally required minimum, and is then combined with income from tips. Local activists in the area sparked a debate in which they argue for a "living wage" model. This model operates on the idea that tipping is discriminatory. Ronald and Tina have worries that they would not be able to sustain the proposed model, and that it may actually result in a pay cut for their workers.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Death and Taxes

Shannon amasses a net worth of $20 million and wants to bequeth this fortune to her children upon her death. Wanting to bypass the sizable estate tax she would have to pass on after her death, she consults a tax lawyer about her options, which mostly involve "tax dodging." With such tax planning strategies, Shannon could spare several million dollars for her children. Without these tax loopholes, Shannon fears that she wouldn't be fulfilling her civic duties.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Home for the Holidays

After learning about the cruelty involved in factory farming practices, Ellen became vegetarian in her thirties. She felt content in this decision until the holidays. Tradition is important in her family and her Italian family often servies non-vegetarian food at gatherings. Ellen's mom did not take the news of her daughter's diet change well and felt betrayed as though they could no longer share their beloved tradition of cooking their culture's recipes together.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Think Outside the Box

Khadijah, born in the U.S. to Muslim immigrants, has always questioned her racial and cultural identity. She struggles with knowing what box to check off on forms that asked about race. Although others who come from similar descent are classified as white, she struggled to identify as such since she didn't feel the priveleges associated with whiteness. As she often would, she checked off a box at random when filling out her college applications. After the fact, she worried that she expolited education policies like affirmative action that are mainly put in place to protect minority groups.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

CRISPR Conundrum

The innovative CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology allows scientists to pinpoint defective genetic material, opening doors to treating illnesses like sickle cell anemia. Another type of gene editing, germline, works on reproductive cells at the embryo level. Germline editing poses the risk of the level of control going as far as creating "designer babies" by selecting for desired traits.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Wilding Out

Privatized adoption has long been seen as an act of selflessness, but in more recent years, issues have arisen about the ethics of how the private adoption industry operates. Many worry that these adoption agencies allow for the “shopping” of children, filtering by race, disability, sex, and age, and that agencies may take advantage of women who may struggle to care for their kids to allow them to be adopted instead. Proponents of the industry say that it is an efficient way to give kids in need families.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Privatized Parenthood

Privatized adoption has long been seen as an act of selflessness, but in more recent years, issues have arisen about the ethics of how the private adoption industry operates. Many worry that these adoption agencies allow for the “shopping” of children, filtering by race, disability, sex, and age, and that agencies may take advantage of women who may struggle to care for their kids to allow them to be adopted instead. Proponents of the industry say that it is an efficient way to give kids in need families.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Married to the Name?

Marriage has become a widespread and enduring practice across the world, but many worry about the aspect of marriage where the woman assumens the husbands last name. In 1981, Quebec adopted a policy that effectively prevented women from taking their husbands’ last name on legal documents, but could still use it socially. While this could be seen as a protection of women’s rights, it was also seen as paternalistic as well, not giving women the choice to choose which name they want.

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2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson 2021-2022 National Case Set Alex Richardson

Yucca’tta Be Kidding Me

Because of the climate crisis, many people have been advocating for the expansion of nuclear energy, which produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than current sources. The major issue of nuclear energy is the nuclear waste that is produced, being highly radioactive and remaining so for thousands of years. The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository was created 100 miles away from Las Vegas to store up to 70,000 tons of nuclear waste, but is inoperable due to concerns from citizens and stakeholders from Nevada not wanting to bear the burden of nuclear waste when they do not benefit from nuclear energy.

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