Problem
In response to the national public health crisis caused by obesity, should parents of minor obese children (under the age of 18) be required to pay a standard tax penalty for their obese, dependent children to offset societal medical and health care costs? To do so, parents would have to file a copy of a child's annual physician record to show their child is within standard healthy weight guidelines with their annual tax filings. This program would allow the parents to either pay the penalty (for example forfeiting their Child Tax Credit) or claim an exemption based on the child's previously established medical or genetic condition (e.g., genetic: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)). In other words, the tax would only apply to parents who are responsible for their child's obesity due to environmental factors such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, etc.
Identify, describe, and apply one ethical decision-making model to this situation to objectively justify your answer. Be specific, ensure you fully identify the model's framework steps, analyze each individual step, address both sides of the issue, and come to an objective conclusion.
Lastly, did you determine in your prior discussion that a gun tax penalty is appropriate for gun manufacturers and/or importers but a tax penalty is inappropriate for parents of obese children, how do you explain this discrepancy on holding parties responsible for increased societal/government healthcare costs resulting from their conduct?