ope, and related bleed phenomena.
Subsequent research did suggest that cancerous tumors were produced by the silicone gel in a large sample of rats on which the product was tested. Some ten years after the implants marketed by Dow had been on the market, a growing body of evidence suggested that the company needed to require lifetime tests in animals. As Velasquez (2002) reported, Dow Corning quickly found itself in court as women who had acquired their breast implants and subsequently suffered injuries allegedly caused by the implant sought financial relief for their injuries.
In this general background, Dow Corning quickly found itself under attack from a number of women and both Congress and the FDA (Velasquez, 2002). The Dow Corning breast implant case has become a bellwether in the field of business ethics despite the fact that no compelling scientific evidence linking silicone breast implants to cancer or other disastrous health conditions has been fully confirmed (Pollitt, 1992).
It is therefore the purpose of this report to consider the case of the Dow Corning breast implants and the company's actions in the context of a specific ethical framework. The ethical framework chosen was provided by Immanuel Kant, who argued that moral principles can be viewed as imperatives because such principles command individuals to do or not do certain things (Schick & Vaughn, 1999). The next section of this report will discuss the Kantian ethical framework. Following this discussion an analysis of the Dow Corning breast implant case will be provided. A summary and conclusion will complete the report.
According to Kant, the only thing that is intrinsically valuable is a good will. To have a good will is to act out of respect for the moral law. This requires more than merely acting in conformity with the moral law which could occur simply by accident. Rather, Kant calls for acting in a moral manner out of a desire to do...