Moral Dilemmas
Moral Dilemma # 1

A man serving a life sentence for a murder he did not commit finally escapes. He hides in a
mountain cabin. While hiding there, a lost eight year old boy near death from hunger and
exposure takes refuge in the cabin with him. The boy must have hospital treatment, but the
escapee knows that if he tries to get the boy back to safety, the search parties will capture him
and return him to prison. If he leaves the boy and continues his flight, the child will surely die.
What should he do?
Moral Dilemma # 2

A wealthy young man is dating a girl who lives with her widowed mother. He considers their
relationship a casual thing, but she considers it much more. The girl begins to have headaches,
and it is discovered that she has a brain tumor. The operation required to remove it is a
dangerous one, and she fears it. One day, in his efforts to reassure her, the young man tells her
that she will be all right and that they will marry when she is well. She survives the operation, but
it leaves her blind. Should the man keep his promise even though he does not love her?
Moral Dillemma # 3

The sister of a young doctor learns from her brother that he has given false information to the
state medical board when applying for a license to practice his medical specialty.  He claims
that the false information was unimportant and irrelevant, but she, a doctor herself, has reason
to believe that her brother is incompetent in the area for which he will be licensed and that he
may endanger the lives of his patients.  If she reports him to the licensing board, he will be
barred for practicing medicine in any form.  If she does nothing, people may suffer. What should
she do?
Moral Dilemma #4
During World War II a group of Jews in eastern Europe, doomed to a Nazi concentration camp
and probably death, attempts to escape to a neutral country.  In the group is a mother with a
small baby.  At a dangerous border crossing the group crouches in the darkness, waiting for a
patrol to pass.  Hungry and tired, the baby begins to cry. Someone in the group hisses,
"Smother that baby or we're all dead!"  What should the mother do?
Moral Dilemma #5
In a really tough math course all grades are on a curve; therefore, your grade is directly
affected by how well or how poorly others do on the final exam. Someone has acquired a
copy of the exam and is black-marketing copies. Over half your classmates have been
offered a copy and have bought one.  If you take the test cold, your chances of getting a
decent grade, and the scholarship you're after, are very low.  If you report the group to the
teacher, they'll know you're the one who turned them in because you are the only one who
hesitated to buy.  What do you do?