Ethics and The Harm Principle

Ethics and The Harm Principle

The Harm Principle states: “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant” (Ethics 1st Edition, p. 81).

Given this definition consider legalized gambling and a person that has an addiction to gambling. You next door neighbor, Sarah Jones, has been going to Bingo seven nights a week and stays about even with money spent versus money won. She has done this for over three years. Recently, she has started going to the casino after Bingo to play the slots. Over the past six [6] months she has lost over $85,000. She has taken a second mortgage on her house, she has taken a loan out on her vehicle, and she has started selling items out of her home. She has three [3] minor children and besides not being at home in the afternoons or evenings she does not always have enough nutritious food in the house. There are lots of cereals, microwave meals, and “junk” food. Since her gambling has increased, her children do not always have clean clothes and often get to school late in the mornings.
You will respond to the following questions in an APA-formatted essay. State your position in a thesis and develop your ideas through well-constructed paragraphs. If you are unfamiliar with essay construction, please review the following:

After you have read the supporting materials, answer the following:

Does the Harm Principle apply to Sarah and her behavior?
Ethically, if you were her neighbor, would you feel you should do something to help Sarah or her kids? What and why? Or if not, why not?
Morally, do you think a next-door neighbor that observes minor children at risk should take action? Why or why not?
Your assignment should include:

A title page in APA format
A minimum of 500 words of meaningful content
A reference page in APA format
Submit the assignment as a Microsoft Word document using the template provided to the Unit 3 Homework Dropbox.