“Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors said a new drug might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and the Heinz tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging ten times the money it cost to make the drug, and this was much more than the Heinz could afford. Heinz could only raise half the money, even after help from family and friends. He explained to the chemist that his wife was dying and asked if he could have the drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money later.

The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered the drug and was going to make money from it. The husband was desperate to save his wife, so later that night he broke into the chemist’s and stole the drug.”

1) Should Heinz have stolen the drug?

We all believed (to varying degrees) that Heinz should have stolen the drug. Personally, I don’t condone it, but I don’t object it either since it was ultimately for good. Chloe and Gloria both echoed this sentiment, saying that since it was for the he had for his wife, he was justified. Anda thought that since he had tried to do it legitimately before, he was right to try and steal it.

2) Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?

We were slightly conflicted regarding this question. Chloe, Gloria, and I believed that this definitely would have changed things since not loving his wife means that he wouldn’t go to such great lengths to try and save her, risking jail time as well. However, Anda believed that it wouldn’t have changed much, since at the end of the day, it his still his wife in question.

3) What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?

We were unanimous regarding this question, agreeing that it would have made a difference. Chloe and Gloria both said that Heinz wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to save the life of a stranger, while I said that from our perspective, it’s the difference between saving someone and saving someone else, whereas from Heinz’s perspective, it’s the difference between saving someone he loves and has known and lived with for years, as opposed to someone he’s never met before in his life. Anda said that he’s not morally bounded to save a stranger, so he wouldn’t go to that length.

4) Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman died?

Like the second question, we were a bit divided on this one. Chloe, Anda, and I agreed that the police shouldn’t arrest the chemist due to the fact that the drug was his personal property and that though what he was doing was morally incorrect, it wasn’t illegal. However, Gloria believed that he should be arrested because it’s every human being’s responsibility to do good for others.