Non Fiction Article Response

Margot Supple                    11/18/14

Blog Post #6     811

Non-Fiction article source: New York Times     

By definition, being ethical is “following accepted rules of behavior : morally right and good”. In daily lives, most decisions are based off what someone thinks is “right” or “wrong”. For example, it would be wrong to cheat on a test, and it would be right to cover your paper. Many people have been debating over if it is ethnic for Ebola nurses to go out in public before they have been checked for the disease. This also brings up a new question, what do citizens have to do to protect others from the spread of illnesses?

Is it “wrong” to go grocery shopping if you have a cold, or go out to a restaurant with a stomach flu? Professor Lawrence O. Gostein believes that although it is not “unethical”, when sick there are still limitations to the amount of germ sharing actions you should perform. “So go for a walk, ride your bike, but don’t shake anyone’s hand or touch them — and I would advise not going into congregant settings. I think it’s unethical and wrong to hop on a cruise ship or get on an airplane or go to crowded movie theater or kiss your fiancée or go to a bowling alley.” However, other people disagree with Gostein, and say that it is completely unethical to come into contact with others when you are sick. Caroline Fairchild states that when sick people should not go to work, school, restaurants, or parks because of the high risk of infecting others. I disagree with Fairchild’s claim, because going outside to the park or restaurants may help your illness.

There is no right answer to all these questions, but people should base their decisions on the impact they will have on their community. I believe that it is healthy to go outside for a walk or run, but people should not purposely touch others in a way likely to spread germs.