This scenario puts individuals in a position to make tough decisions based on their values,

beliefs, and morals. How people react to the Heinz dilemma can indicate which stage of moral
development they are at.

The Case of Heinz

To understand the different levels of values maturity, consider the following well known story
used by Kohlberg (1969). It will help you better understand levels of values maturity.
In Europe a woman was near death from a rare form of cancer. There was one drug that the
doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had
recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging 10 times
what it cost him to make the drug. He paid $200 for radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose
of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money,
but he could get together only about $1,000. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and
begged him to sell the drug at a lower price or let him pay later. But the druggist said, “No, I
discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz grew desperate and began
to think about breaking into the store to steal the drug for his wife.
Now, answer the following questions in reaction to the story and relate your answers with
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development.

Yes No
1. Would it be wrong for Heinz to break into the store?
2. Did the druggist have the right to charge that much for
the product?
3. Did Heinz have an obligation to steal the drug for his
wife?
4. What if Heinz and his wife did not get along and were
planning a divorce? Should Heinz steal the drug for her?
5. Suppose Heinz’s best friend was dying of cancer, rather
than Heinz’s wife. Should Heinz steal the drug for his
friend?
6. Suppose the person dying was not personally close to
Heinz but lived in the neighborhood. Should Heinz steal the
drug for a neighbor?
7. Suppose Heinz read in the newspaper about a woman
dying of cancer. Should he steal the drug for her?
8. Would you steal the drug to save your own life?
9. Suppose Heinz was caught breaking into the store and
was brought before a judge. Should he be sentenced to jail?