Computer Ethics Case Study

Introduction to the Therac-25 Major Case Study

This case study is designed to get you to think critically about the ethical issues inherent in our general use of and reliance on

technology. This semester-long activity will help reinforce these

concepts better than short look we take at other cases during the

course. The case study is designed to force students to evaluate peer work, as well as their own, with regards to ethical reasoning and

analysis (something that is stressed throughout the course). To

accomplish this goal, we are going to use the example of the Therac

25 machine, which was used for treating certain cancers. Early in the Therac 25’s use, patients in the U.S. and Canada were reporting burns

from the machine. Ultimately, some deaths occurred. Here is how the

major case study will work:

 

1. You will choose a client to defend: CMC, FDA, Hospitals, or Operators. See the note below about defending the Hospitals or

the Operators. The choice will be made during week 3 of the

course.

2. You will be tasked with defending the viewpoint of your client in the Therac case. An outline of your defense will be due at the

end of week 6.

3. During week 8 you will write a critique of a defense of one of the

other clients. The defense will be in the form of a Power Point presentation that will be provided along with the week 8 course

materials. Please note that you are NOT creating a Power Point.

You are writing a critique of an existing PP from a previous

semester. 4. Your full defense will be a paper that you will submit at the end

of the 2nd to last week of the course. The paper must, at a

minimum, include:

a. General background information on your client

b. The problem or issue that involved your client with regards to the Therac-25 machine

c. A detailed proposal regarding what can and should be done

to prevent this problem from happening (remedies)

d. An ethical analysis using Spinello’s Framework. This is the place where you stress that your client acted ethically.

e. A list of additional references, beyond the materials

provided in the course.

What you will find out as you investigate this case study and delve into

the inner workings are what really happened and why, and how the

ethical issues, and how they were approached by all interested parties,

 

 

shifted and blurred. The outcomes of the Therac 25 law suites are well

known and documented. The point of this case study is not to necessarily change that outcome but rather, it is to increase your

ability to conduct an analysis of the ethical issues given in any

circumstance in the real world.

To get a solid understanding of the Therac 25 problem and the ethical

issues involved, read the chapter sections from both of your textbooks

for this course that deal specifically with the Therac case. Additional

resources are provided in other sections for the Major Case Study. As an aside, we use the case of the Therac machine because it is well

documented and easy to understand. There are of course other cases

out there that are engaging and very interesting as well. The problem

is that many of these cases, such as cases that deal with free speech issues for instance, are difficult to argue because these cases are not

so cut and dried. Legislation is constantly being introduced that would

make it difficult to collect and analyze the necessary data to present a

convincing and conclusive argument within the time frame of this

course and within the legal skills necessary to make sense of the information. The interesting part of this case (with regards to our

course) is how you decide to build your case, and how well you argue

and present it.

NOTE: If you are defending the Hospitals or the Operators, you need

to defend them all. You don’t have to make your defense sound as

though there was only one Hospital, or only one Operator, but, you

can not just ignore one or several Hospitals or Operators to help your defense.

 

NOTE: Much of the material used in the presentation of this case

study were created by C. Huff, et. al, atSt. Olaf College under a grant

from the National Science Foundation. The material is used under the Education Fair Use Act.