Ethics Scenario #73:Health Research Consortium

73. Donald is the CEO of Health Research Consortium, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt research organization with clients consisting mostly of local governments and foundations. For research involving issues relating to Obamacare and its effects on local governments, HRC is the go-to organization, chiefly because of its two leading researchers, Ben and Earl, who have national reputations for understanding and analyzing the complexities of the Affordable Care Act. Since passage of the Act, the HRC has been flooded with research grant opportunities, some of which have even been unsolicited, as local governments and now, even for-profits, have sought to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of these two researchers, as well as their support team. But all is not well at HRC. Ben and Earl are gay, and have been living together for 20 years. Once Massachusetts approved legislation authorizing gay marriage, the couple announced that not only were they going to Massachusetts to be married, but they would be staying there permanently to live and raise a family. They gave their two weeks’ notice, and everyone wished them well at the farewell party held in their honor. But Donald knew that Ben and Earl were the backbone of several pending contracts. It might not be impossible to replace them in the long term, but in the short term, their absence would be problematic. Donald was not sure how the grantors would respond if they knew that Ben and Earl were no longer involved in the projects. He decides that he will divulge this fully if the contractors raise any questions, but unless and until they do, he will keep this as quiet as possible and try to find other staff who will be tasked with completing the work.

a. Is Donald’s behavior ethical?