Reply to "The Ethicist" on Sidwell's Hospice Purchase

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What an un-Quakerly response! Quakers have often been outspoken on how other Christians ought to behave. They definitely didn't shy away from debate and activism when they believed that others outside of their faith were carrying on in an unjust way.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Who's saying running the home was/is the only option available to them to proceed ethically?[/quote]
Different poster responding -- When someone earlier posed the question of what critics suggest Sidwell should have done different, the only response I recall reading was basically that Sidwell needs to become a business partner with Washington Home and start operating an alternate long-term case facility, presumably at a location and price-point the current tenants of WH approve.  See pages 2-3 of this thread.  That suggestion seems fairly ridiculous to me.  Do you have other concrete suggestions about what steps you think the school should take?

Personally, I think the only people who are in any position to comment on the ethics of this situation are those in the Sidwell community.  As the NYTimes piece indicated, the only reason the buyer might have any moral responsibility at all toward the seller's tenants is because of whatever ethical requirements are imposed by the school's Quaker beliefs.  I'd find it pretty offensive if someone outside my faith's community started telling me what my faith requires, and I suspect Sidwell's community finds similarly offensive the running commentary of DCUM critics who have convince themselves they know better what Sidwell's ethics require than Sidwell itself does.

Consider for a moment how you would react if some anonymous critic told you you shouldn't be allowed to manage your own affairs, because that critic had decided you weren't operating consistent with his interpretation of your religious faith.  In the context of another school discussion from these boards, are people here going to start investigating whether GDS has accounted for all the potential racial impacts of its campus consolidation, arguing that GDS's history of racial inclusiveness somehow now obligated GDS to be meet certain obligations?  Not me.  I consider each person's ethics to be his own responsibility, so while I might disagree with your ethical decisions or might make a different decision, I don't get to tell you what your ethical framework requires.[/quote][/quote]

I'm not a Quaker, but I still struggle with how Sidwell Friends is acting "unjustly" here.  The Washington Home's board wanted to sell and pursue a completely different service model.  Sidwell was exploring how to expand/enhance their campus.  If the Washington Home was selling, it made perfect sense for Sidwell to buy, both for their own purposes and to prevent TWH from falling to some different use that might negatively impact the school.  Clearly TWH board felt that Sidwell's purchase offer was fair and attractive and will fund the in-home care model that TWH wishes to pursue.  As has been asked by various PPs, how would it have been more "just" for Sidwell to have stood by, knowing that it could use the property, and watch some developer fill the site with condos, offices and stores?  Sidwell is not TWH's bank or landlord.  It is not evicting TWH.  In fact, it agreed to an extended period (at TWH's option) before the school takes possession.  There certainly could be a need in DC for additional subsidized nursing home/hospice facilities, but why aren't charitable institutions focused on health care doing that?  It seems unreasonable to the point of ridiculous to expect that somehow a school should and could underwrite such a facility, particularly when that is neither its mission nor its area of expertise.  [/quote]

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