Case Study 2

1
Case Study 2

• By Michelle Foster
• Erin Horn
• Estee Dahan
• Jomel De-Jesus
• Guadalupe Gallo
• Chelsa Christy

2
Case Study

• June 22, 2006 A 27 year old male presents with
  what is originally thought as chicken pox, but is
  later found out to be small pox which leads to
  his death 7 hours after admission
• Due to the highly contagious nature of the
  disease, he was quarantined and the doctors
  contacted the CDC to determine what to do
  further.
• Background check was done on the man who was
  discovered to be a flight attendant who had flown
  to 4 cities in the past few weeks.
• Mandatory vaccination was ordered for all the
  people in the hospital he presented at, everyone
  on his flights and everyone in the cities flown
  to as well as people in his apartment building
  and everyone else he had been in contact with.

3
Small Pox Facts

• The flight attendant was most likely infected by
  a bioterrorist on one of his flights who would
  not have been showing symptoms when he passed it
  to the flight attendant
• While vaccinating will help decrease the
  incidents of death related to exposure, it is
  very possible that the terrorists might have
  genetically modified the small pox virus to make
  the vaccine uneffective.

4
Question

• Present a moral argument representing a
  deontological assessment of a general quarantine

5
Thesis

• Through the ideas and theories of John Rawls, we
  will prove that the government should issue a
  ring quarantine for the people who have not only
  been in direct contact with the flight attendant,
  but also those in direct contact with them.
  Furthermore other quarantines will be issued as
  cases arise.

6
To clarify

• Deontological is an appeal to a universal code
  of conduct that appeals to all situations seeking
  a universal which is morally binding. The
  rightness or wrongness of a moral action is
  determined at least partly with reference to the
  formal rules of conduct rather than the
  consequences or results of an action

• Quarantine Quarantine is voluntary or compulsory
  isolation, typically to contain the spread of
  something considered dangerous, often but not
  always disease.
• Veil of Ignorance law passers make decisions
  based on what is good for the society with out
  regards to how it will affect the people of the
  society individually. Being deprived of
  knowledge of any certain person and thus creating
  a biased rule in favor of that person.

7
John Rawls Original Thought

• A deontological thinker would state that
  equality, or a fair distribution of advantages,
  is to be addressed as a background matter by
  constitutional and legal provisions that
  structure social institutions.
• Meaning, the Rules of a Society are more
  important than the complicating consequences an
  action might bring.
• Furthermore, when deciding the morality of the
  action, we must be focused only on the Action. Is
  it good in and of itself?

8
John Rawls

• Rawls Original Position- is a type of thought
  experiment, stating one must consider What
  Principles of Social Justice would be chosen by
  parties thoroughly knowledgeable about human
  affairs in general, but wholly deprivedby the
  Veil of Ignorance of information about the
  particular person or persons they represent?
• This should be used to get away from social
  institutions that may distort our views and bias
  matters in our own favor.
• We need to look at this social institution in a
  way that we step back and realize what is good-
  not for us individually, but for society as a
  whole.

9
Tying it all together

• When issuing a General Quarantine, the government
  should be concerned with this action in and of
  itself.
• By choosing people who are fully knowledgeable
  about small pox, they will decide, under the
  influence of the veil of ignorance that in this
  case it is a better choice
• By quarantining those exposed to the disease, we
  will prevent further illnesses and deaths.

10
Conclusion

• Furthermore, this is morally right because of the
  unprepared nature of our society to this disease.
• While there may be unknown consequences of the
  quarantine to individuals, we have to look at
  society as a whole and realize what is best for
  them at this moment and not be concerned so much
  with the consequences it may bring about.