State Senator Anthony Hensley | The Ethics Professors

By Steve Kraske,

Published December 8, 2020 at 1:54 PM CST

Anthony Hensley taught special education during much of his tenure in the Kansas legislature. — Besides representing the 19th District, Anthony Hensley also worked as a special education teacher until 2011.

Kansas lawmaker Anthony Hensley on his decades in the state legislature, and the ethics of distributing vaccines and whether we should be donating more and shopping less this holiday season.

Segment 1, beginning at 5:11: Anthony Hensley, who was first elected in 1976 as a state representative, recalls battles won and lost as a Democrat in the statehouse.

After losing by just over 600 votes in the November election, Kansas State Senator Anthony Hensley will retire as the state's longest serving legislator. The Kansas Senate's minority leader won't be returning but predicted that Medicaid expansion will fail to pass in the new legislative session.

Anthony Hensley, Democratic State Senator in Kansas

Segment 2, beginning at 31:22: The ethics professors take on vaccine distribution and spending on ourselves during a pandemic.

What's the most ethical way to distribute COVID-19 vaccines? Should we feel guilty for buying gifts instead of giving to charity during a pandemic? The ethics professors and listeners offered their takes on these questions.

Wayne Vaught, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Utah Valley University
Clancy Martin, is a Philosophy professor at UMKC, and a professor of Business Ethics at the Bloch School of Management.