The first ethical dilemma was sending help after receiving much criticism and observing much caution. Ideally, human life is a priority for many nations, as defined by their constitution. For instance, under the 14 amendments in the U.S constitution, the rights to life and excellent health is a mandatory for citizens residing in the U.S. The clause protects persons who are alien citizens regardless of their countries of citizenship. Therefore, because of the nature of the Ebola outbreak, the U.S should have been the first nation to respond to the crisis in Liberia and, by extension, other West African countries in the region. By choosing to act out of criticism, the U.S government did not demonstrate its compassion for the concern and wellbeing of the human race. In so doing, it risked the spread of the infection to other regions of the world as opposed to containing it, as exemplified through the initiatives of other nations and international organizations.
The failure of the U.S to act in the best of interest of Liberia based on historical relation was the second dilemma. Ideally, different nations such as France and U.K as colonial masters often support their colonized countries. Arguably, during the outbreak, superpower sends relief food as provision for assistance on the grounds of legacy to colonial ties. As a result, it was expected by the western power that the U.S would follow suit because Liberia as a nation was created to accommodate freed slaves. The U.S would have been the first country to send its best medical doctors and research scientists to spearhead in the fight against the Ebola virus. It is essential to point out that failure of the U.S to send doctors, but instead, military doctors seemed a mockery to the efforts put by other nations. Based on the above, the U.S's late involvement and abandoning its former slave state serves as an ethical dilemma from a global world leader.
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Issues Relating to Professional Conduct
First, sending over 3000 military personnel was an issue of professional conduct by the nation's superpower status. Even though the intervention initiative was the largest the world had ever witnessed from the U.S, it was necessary because there was no conflict in the region. The best approach would have been to send a medical team from the CDC. Medical, as opposed to military doctors, would have been up to date with plans to consider in the fight against Ebola. In retrospect, most military doctors are trained in the art of managing battlefield injuries as opposed to viral infection. The issue was further compounded by the arrogance of President Obama in justifying his administration's action. The president reiterated that the American military has the resources and required hierarchical structure and discipline of managing the viral outbreak. Based on this remark, one can mention that the U.S did not have faith in other nations such as the U.K and France handling the pandemic in West Africa.
The militarization of the relief efforts could have morphed into security and military engagements. Soldiers are trained to fight and kill enemies as opposed to controlling a sickly population. Therefore, American soldiers would have been faced with the ethical dilemma of engaging civilians in gunfights. It is important to note that Liberia had a considerable population of rebel factions, which implies that violence and confrontation would have ensued between American and the rebel forces. Other critics suggest that U.S military intervention jeopardized the principle of neutrality that has been the foundation of health relief organizations. While the involvement of the U.S was ideal and beneficial to Liberia, it is considered unprofessional because it results in the misallocation of funds and resources that could have otherwise been channeled to supporting the humanitarian crisis directly without the involvement of the military.
Importance of Ethics in Society
Ethics serves as a beacon of moral uprightness in the society. Ideally, the community is made up of different persons, which implies different sets of behavior. Therefore, ethics is essential in society because it provides rooms for citizens to remain upright. Being upright is considered an act of virtue which can directly guide the actions of an individual in the society. Their ethics is important because it helps citizens to live by the law. For instance, in the work environment, if an individual acts ethically, it is impossible that they will be involved in the cases of corruption or graft. Ethics allows leaders that have been involved in graft cases to step down and clear their names with the relevant authoritative bodies. For instance, in the Enron scandal, all the top management were required by the law to step aside to allow the ongoing investigation to take place.
In contrast, legal ethics requires law enforcement officers to act according to standard operating protocols. Naturally, this applies to citizens whose misconduct results to arrest. In this way, it allows the law to take its course without impediment. For instance, police officers are required when arresting to read the offender their rights. In most cases, detained individuals are expected to remain silent during the process. Naturally, this helps to protect them because whatever they say can be used against them in the court of law. Second, the arrested individual has the right to an attorney. This right ensures they are defended in the court of law, and if they cannot afford one, the states make the provision on their behalf. Technically, ethics is a tool of establishing balance in society for all persons regardless of their social status. Therefore, ethics is important because it brings about justice and fairness in a community based on morally upright principles.
