Deliberation Overview
This deliberation was begun on Monday, September 5, 2005
This history was compiled on Sunday, November 22, 2009
Describe the Situation
My boyfriend and I have been dating for about 4 months, and I have never been happier. However, last night he said he believes we are ready to have a sexual relationship, using protection of course. I was surprised as I am so happy with the relationship and have no need or want to make things sexual. I don’t know if I’m ready to have sex with him, but I know I do not see a reason to change what we have now. I am also uncomfortable talking about his sexual history as he has had a number of girlfriends in college and I do not know if he has had sex with them or not, nor do I know if he has any sexually transmitted diseases. However, I think I love him and do not want to lose him. Should I have sex without him being tested because I trust him? Even if he is healthy, its just sex, so if I have sex with him, should I get over my not being ready to have sex so that he will stay my boyfriend?
Consequences Framework
Chosen standard for evaluating consequences:
Personal Health
This standard is most appropriate because:
Personal Health has three facets, physical, mental, and social health. Personal Health is the most relevant ethical standard because there are only two people directly affected by this issue, myself and my boyfriend. When it comes to sexual relations, both people have to agree to sex and be ready for it. My boyfriend has decided that he would keep his current physical, mental, and social health if we had sex, so he is a non-issue. At this point, I need to make sure I am physically, mentally, and socially ready for a sexual relationship. Whichever option provides the best personal health is the one I ought to pick.
Chosen course of action:
Start holding the new product releases in an online format so people have to watch the video of the release to get the information.
This action fulfills my chosen standard because:
This is the ultimate professional goal of a public relations professional.
This action is consistent with the expectations of any ethics codes that apply to your situation.
I will be able to do this action.
Other alternatives explored using the Consequences Framework:
Start holding the new product releases in an online format so people have to watch the video of the release to get the information.
Consequences: Your boss may feel that this may takes away the live excitement of a product launch. The technology needed to hold interactive sessions is getting more affordable but still may cost your company time and money.
Explanation: This is the ultimate professional goal of a public relations professional.
Notes: This allows everyone to get the information in a timely manner.
Agree with Honor Code: yes
Offer an incentive to the members of the press who show up to the live release.
Consequences: This could come across wrong to the members of the press - it would need to be worded very carefully so you don't end up making them feel like you are manipulating them. If they felt that you were trying to manipulate them then you may lose your press coverage all together. You would not be able to 'pay' them to come because that would be unethical, but offering the incentive of gaining information shortly before it is made public and even having the opportunity to interact with the designers/creators of the products might be enough of an incentive.
Notes:
Duties Framework
I have judged that the most dutiful conduct in my situation is:
The most dutiful action would be to tell my boyfriend to get tested for STDs and then for us to discuss if our relationship is ready for sex. This fulfills the duties of Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, and Self-Improvement to myself. While it doesn’t fulfill the duties of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence to my boyfriend, these actions do not express true duties. Those duties do not treat me with respect because it does not empower the two of us to discuss and make our own moral decisions, it merely acts upon his feelings.
This action is most dutiful because:
This action treats both of us with respect because it empowers the two of us to make our own educated and moral decisions. In knowing that the two of us are disease free, we can discuss if we should even have sex. If we are disease free, then we can discuss if we are ready for sex. In this discussion, we will be respecting each others boundaries and abilities to make moral decisions about our bodies.
Anyone would be obligated to perform this action because:
Kant’s formula for Autonomy helped me make this decision because Kant says that all people have the ability (and such right and duty) to make autonomous moral decisions. If those actions respect autonomy, we have the duty to respect that decision. By discussing if we are ready for sex, we can make better moral decisions. We then have to respect each other’s decisions about sex.
This alternative is consistent with the expectations of any ethics codes that apply to your situation.
I will NOT be able to do this action.
Even though the duties to my boyfriend aren't true duties, I still feel obligated to fulfill them because I love my boyfriend.
Ranking of specific duties explored using this framework:
Fidelity
Definition: Duty to keep your promises and prior commitments.
Action: The duty of fidelity applies to this situation because it is my duty as a public relations professional to keep the press appropriately informed and by telling the press to attend a live launch or you will withold the information I would not keeping that promise/commitment.
Impact: Fidelity would end up helping me uphold my professional duty. Although it may cause some friction between me and my boss I believe that the conflict could be resolved.
conflicts with Beneficence
Gratitude
Definition: Duty to repay favors and unearned services granted to you by others.
Action: The duty of gratitude applies to this situation because the press has covered my product launches in the past so I need to keep them informed and up to date on our new products without making them feel manipulated.
Impact: Gratitude would end up helping the press get the information that they needed to stay on top of the news happening within my company.
conflicts with Beneficence
Nonmaleficence
Definition: Duty to do no harm and to prevent harm.
Action: The duty of nonmaleficence applies to this situation because I have the duty to keep the media informed equally and witholding information because someone is unable to attend the lanch does not allow for this.
Impact: Nonmaleficence would also end up helping me uphold my professional duty and the conflict that it might cause between me and my boss could be resolved.
conflicts with Beneficence
Self-improvement
Definition: Duty to improve our knowledge and virtue.
Action: The duty of self-improvement applise to this situation because I need to allow equal access to my company information that is made public. If I am witholding the information from individuals who couldn't attend I am not improving the overall knowledge.
Impact: The duty of Self-improvement, like gratitude, would help the press get equal access to my company information. Although it might upset my boss for me to 'fight' for the media outlets rights I believe it would help me uphold my professional values.
conflicts with Beneficence
Justice
Definition: Duty to give each person equal consideration.
Action: The duty of justice applies to this situation because if you are only giving information to the people who can fit the live launch into their schedule you are not treating the individuals from the press equally.
Impact: The duty of Justice would help this situation because it would again allow for equal access to my company's launch information. It would again cause friction between me and my boss.
conflicts with Beneficence
Beneficence
Definition: Duty to do good acts and promote people's happiness.
Action: The duty of beneficence applies to this situation because I have a duty to do what my boss asks me to do if that is going to make him happy.
Impact: Beneficence would end up having a negative impact on the situation if it pushed me to do exactly what my boss had requested.
conflicts with Justice
Virtue Framework
An action that will exhibit the most virtuous traits is:
The best action would be to gain knowledge by finding out if my boyfriend has an STD and then to discuss with him if we are ready for sex. This will help me gain Wisdom about the situation (though I will still have to decide what to do with the knowledge I gain). It also cultivates my virtues of Love and Friendship because, through this discussion, we will be showing mutual respect and trust in each other, prerequisites for Love and Friendship. This also cultivates the Dissatisfaction with the relationship when it is a virtue because we will be discovering more about our relationship through this discussion and our relationship will become stronger.
This is the action that an ideally virtuous person would do because:
Aristotle’s idea of virtues helped me make my decision. In his idea of Friendship/Love is that they are both good in and of themselves and because they make each person stronger (because friends/lovers support each other). This means that if I am truly in love with my boyfriend, we can discuss anything that affects our relationship so as to make it better. In this discussion, we achieve another one of Aristotle’s virtues, Wisdom. The Dissatisfaction with the relationship becomes a virtue through this discussion because we will see if this dissatisfaction is for good reasons, not just lust.
This alternative is consistent with the expectations of any ethics codes that apply to your situation.
I will be able to do this action.