Kidneys For Sale?

 A billionaire executive is in desperate need of a kidney transplant and is low on the waiting list for prospective donors.  However, he decides to offer a proposition to any takers: an immediate $2 million pay out, free health care and an annual payment of  $500,000 a year for the rest of the donor's life (or his wife if he predeceases her) in exchange for one kidney.  After only a few days, he has more than enough people willing to make the exchange.  Unfortunately for the billionaire such a transaction is currently illegal.  But should it?  The exchange, after all, cause no harm to either the executive (whose life is saved )or the donor (who no longer has any financial worries and is perfectly healthy with only one kidney).  What should be the legal status of selling organs -- and on what principle?

Free the Nipple

 In 2016, three women went topless in a beach in Laconia, New Hampshire.  One was doing yoga, while the other two were sunbathing. When they refused to cover themselves after beach attendees complained, they were arrested.  The Laconia law bans sex and nudity in public places but specifically applies to women by prohibiting the "showing of female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any part of the nipple." These women acted in coordination with the Free the Nipple campaign, a global group advocating for the right to be topless in public places.  Is the law under which they were arrested justified?  Does the law violate the rights of the women (such as free expression or sexual discrimination)? Is this a good example of restricting offending conduct that should be justified -- or not?

Obesity and Paternalism

  Rates of obesity in the United States are alarming -- and efforts to reverse the trend seem ineffective.  According the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 38 percent of U.S. adults are obese and 17 percent of teenagers are as well.  Another third or so of Americans are overweight. Obesity can lead to serious health condition such as heart disease and diabetes.   Some governments have attempted or considered paternalist interventions to stem the tide of obesity.  For example, New York City attempted to ban the sale of soda pop in sizes greater than 16 oz.   Other cities such as Berkeley and Philadelphia have passed a soda tax.  In Philadelphia distributors are taxed 1.5 cents per once on soda pop and other sweetened drinks: a 2 liter bottle of pop that used to cost $1.79 sells today for $2.79 because of an added dollar in tax.  These laws are intended to help consumers in these cities -- but have they gone too far?  Are these laws and taxes justified?  Why or why not?

Gun Ownership and the Risks of Harm

 On March 2, 2022 the Ohio House passed Senate Bill 215 (by a vote of 57-35).  If signed into law by the governor, the bill would permit anyone 21 or older in Ohio to legally possess a handgun to be carried and concealed without a license or firearms training. The bill would also reduce penalties if a gun owner does not properly notify law enforcement they have a firearm in their possession.

Is this law justify?  Does such a law make gun possession more dangerous?  How does it compare to things like the possession of dangerous material such as poison, fertilizer and plutonium? Can the Harm to Others Principle justify restrictions and/or prohibitions on gun possession?

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star?

 On March 26. 1997 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide in an attempt to catch a ride with a spaceship hiding in the wake of the Hale-Bopp comet.  Had authorities known of these plans would they have been justified in arresting the cult members to prevent their deaths?  After all, police officers forcibly prevent suicides all the time?  What about a Jehovah Witness who refuses a blood transfusion for a life saving operation?  Should the state force him or her to have the operation to save her or his life?  What about a mountain climber who wants to ascend a dangerous Himalayan mountain peak in the middle of winter?  Would authorities be justified in arresting her or him to prevent such a foolhardy ascent?  Or do individuals have a right to engage in harmful behavior that is meaningful to them?

Legitimate Protest?

 In February, 2022 a "freedom convoy" of truckers, protesting a new rule requiring truck drivers crossing the Canadian/United States to be vaccinated against COVID-19, blocked city streets in and around the Parliament in Ottawa, Canada.  The parked trucks and other makeshift structures effectively impeded traffic throughout the city and has lasted from over a week.  Is this a form of legitimate protest?  What would Mill say -- and do you agree?

A Right to Hate?

A white supremacist wants to advocate his political views on a billboard in a majority African-American neighborhood.   A neo-Nazi group wants to march in a city with a large number of Holocaust survivors.  A conservative Christian passes out literature denouncing the legitimacy of gay marriage outside of a wedding chapel.  Are these actions examples of hate speech?  If so, should they be legally permitted according to Mill?  Is he correct?  What should the state do about speech that discriminates or preaches intolerance?