To begin this topic, we will discuss medication. People do not realize the importance of lowering the cost of medicine. Medicines that are required for you, your families, your friends, and your pets to survive are almost always ungodly expensive. 

 

An example would be insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is required for people who suffer from diabetes. For those who do not know, diabetes is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that causes the lack of ability of your body to turn food into energy. That causes dangerously low blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, which causes them to need insulin. Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar) without the proper treatment will eventually lead to death; however, an insulin pump costs $4.5k to $6.5k, and additional supplies for the pump may cost another 1.5k dollars.

 

This has caused discourse about whether stealing medication is warranted or justified. Especially in recent years, stealing medication (or other things they need, like baby food, diapers, women’s cleanliness products, etc.) has increased because of the ever-growing cost of any products due to inflation.

 

People who argue against unlawful stealing say that “The price of medication is increasing because people are stealing, and companies are not getting paid for the work they do to get these products manufactured and brought to you. Then this causes the working class to lose money due to it.” But is this the case? People who agree that stealing in this situation is justified argues that “If everyone began paying for these expensive products, then supply and demand would take place and ultimately increase the cost of medication.”

 

Since the businesses that provide these products make them so expensive, they are worth a lot of money. Tylenol is a company owned by Johnson & Johnson, and Johnson & Johnson is worth $175.124 billion. So, does this company need to increase its products’ worth?

 

 

Do you think that people are justified in stealing medicine from companies?

 

Is stealing justified under any circumstances?

 

Should companies lower the prices of their products to prevent stealing?


https://answersingenesis.org/morality/is-stealing-okay-if-youre-getting-something-you-need/
https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/prescription-drug-price-increases

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  • I feel like stealing is never really justified. But there are some cases where you feel terrible and you don't want to tell them it's wrong. For example, if someone can't afford their medication so they steal it. Without this medication they could become really sick or even die, so in my opinion I feel like it would be hard to tell them no. I think companies should most definitely lower their prices, because most of the time the reason people steal things is because they don't have money to buy them.

    • I see where you are coming from. Morality plays a huge role in this discussion. Although stealing things from a store is illegal, people will still feel terrible for removing a person's right to something they cannot afford, but something that they need to live-- something they need to function in society.

  • I don't think that stealing is ever fully justified, even if you are stealing to help yourself or somebody else. I think that companies should be leniant with people that need the stuff so that they can at least get it without stealing it. In the end stealing shouldn't be justified.

  • I don not think that stealing should ever be justified. Even if sometimes people steal for medical reasons, there is organizations or people that could help them finance medication istead of steling it. I think that people that want to steal are going to steal even if the price is lowered so I don't think they should lower them.

    • That could be the case: where people continue to steal things even after the prices are lowered. But, do you think that the crime of stealing would decrease? Do you think it would decrease a substantial amount, to the point where stealing isn't a problem anymore? Or, do you think that the crime would continue to thrive in society, and would stay at the same level?

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