Should deadly force be used in certain circumstances?


 In the week one video about the Spanish flu and 1918 Pandemic, you learned that people could not be outside their homes without face masks. If the police encountered someone without a mask and the person refused to wear the mask, they were shot on the spot.

Express your thoughts about corporal punishment for refusing to follow rules to provide for public safety.

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

  • Summarize what the right to autonomy supports
  • What conditions, if any, might override the personal right to make choices?
  • Discuss how you might feel if someone refused to self-isolate knowing they were ill and a loved one died after being exposed by this person
  • What ethical principle might support this action?