Chapter 21, Problem 21.1CTDQ

To determine

If one should object or intervene when people choose immediate survival over long term health.

Answer to Problem 21.1CTDQ

One should not object the decision of people if they choose immediate survival over long term health.

Explanation of Solution

For the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota a toxic waste disposal site has been proposed. Many of the tribal members living in that area oppose this plan but some of them favor it because of the jobs and income that it would bring in their area with $70$ percent unemployment. Now, if local people choose immediate survival over long term health then one should not object because immediate survival needs employment, there would be negative health consequences worse than the ones caused by chronic unemployment. But for immediate survival one should not object their decision. The only equitable thing is to demand the legal health safeguards for the Dakota.