Which of the following is NOT an example of an ethical issue as defined in the text?

• A. Whether to legally recognize same-sex marriage
• B. How to deal with an influx of immigrants
• C. Whether to abolish the death penalty
• D. How to punish one's teenage child for skipping school

Answer: (D)

Ethical questions in this context focus on how society should treat people, rights, and justice within laws or public policy. Deciding whether to legally recognize same-sex marriage, determining how to handle an influx of immigrants, and discussing whether to abolish the death penalty all deal with larger moral and legal questions about rights, equality, and the justice system. Punishing a teenager for skipping school, while it can involve ethical considerations in parenting, is a private, interpersonal matter rather than a public ethics or policy dilemma. It centers on family dynamics and disciplinary choices rather than how society should structure rights or justice, so it isn’t an ethical issue framed in the same way.