Select one of the following social issues to consider from various ethical and moral perspectives:

Social Issue 1: COVID-19 Vaccine and Mask Mandates – In 2021, President Biden issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 employees. This resulted in lawsuits in some states, and many people walked off the job because they did not agree with the mandate. Similar disagreements took place regarding mask mandates in schools and small businesses. Consider the ethical and moral aspects related to making decisions about this social issue.
Social Issue 2: Legalized Marijuana – The legal status for medical and recreational marijuana varies greatly from state to state. As of 2021, approximately half of the states legalized both medical and recreational marijuana, while others only allow for medical use. As of 2022, marijuana use is still completely illegal in four states. These laws require a variety of considerations, such as the need for pre-employment drug screenings, access to marijuana by minors, incidents involving driving under the influence, and more. Consider the ethical and moral aspects related to making decisions about this social issue.
Social Issue 3: Reproductive Rights – Reproductive rights revolve around an individual’s right to determine whether and when they want to have children. In 1973, the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade established the legal right to abortion; however, states continue to battle over legislation related to reproductive care. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed which expanded women’s access to contraception. Many people consider reproductive rights an issue of bodily autonomy. Consider the ethical and moral aspects related to making decisions about this social issue (Status of Women in the States, n.d.).
Consider how each of the ethical theories would consider the social issue you’ve selected. Think about what specific aspects of the issue would be relevant to decision-making process for each ethical perspective.

Complete the matrixes below. For each ethical theory, list 3 aspects of the social issue that would be relevant to decision-making for that theory. Include a brief explanation about the relevance of each aspect of the social issue to each theory.

Social issue:

Noncognitive Theory
Example Aspects of the social issue relevant to this theory’s perspective
1
2
3

Cognitive Relativist Theory
Example Aspects of the social issue relevant to this theory’s perspective
1
2
3

Cognitive Universalist Theory
Example Aspects of the social issue relevant to this theory’s perspective
1
2
3