JCU bioethics 1: Should ELISA testing be mandatory?
Thu, Sep 24, 2026 · Week 5 · Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
Today's goal: Argue an assigned side of this question: Should ELISA testing for Novel Flu Syndrome be mandatory?
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
Parallel case, not today's prompt: A city is deciding whether every rental unit must receive an annual carbon-monoxide detector check, even when the tenant has reported no problem.
Claim: The city should require the annual check because carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled, but it should fund the inspection so the rule does not shift the cost onto low-income tenants.
Evidence: Carbon monoxide can cause severe injury before a resident recognizes a symptom. A working detector provides an early warning, and inspection records can show whether the detector was present, powered, and within its service life.
Reasoning: A narrowly targeted check is justified when the hazard is hard to detect, the possible harm is serious, and the screening tool is low-risk. Covering the cost keeps the safety benefit from becoming an access barrier.
Strongest opposing point and response: Landlords may argue that annual checks are expensive and unnecessary in newer buildings. New equipment can still lose power or be installed incorrectly, so a short documented check protects residents while a public subsidy answers the strongest cost concern.
My position after the debate: I support the claim only with the limits named above. A strong ethics argument states the value being protected, uses evidence rather than preference, answers the best counterargument, and names the condition that could change the decision.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A complete debate worksheet that names the assigned side, gives three evidence-based arguments, answers the strongest opposing point, and ends with the student's own position.
- Write one defensible claim.
- Choose specific evidence that supports the claim.
- Explain the scientific rule that connects the evidence to the claim.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit one debate worksheet PDF in Schoology before the end of the block.
Turn in: Worked debate worksheet on a parallel case: required carbon-monoxide screening in rental housing
Go to Schoology to turn this in.
Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.
Open Schoology PDF upload helpIf you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about today's lesson. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.
It builds this reusable test skill: Selecting evidence that directly tests an ethical claim.
- Name the concept or data pattern being tested.
- Cross out choices that violate that rule or the evidence.
- Justify the best remaining choice before checking the answer.