If harm is being done to others then, following the arguments of J S Mill, the ‘ought’ requirement is for effective action to be taken and cannot be denied on the basis of individual selfinterests.
In Mill’s famous essay on Utilitarianism, he established two principles - the greatest happiness principle and the equity principle (Hudson, 1983). Heated debate followed about how ‘greatest happiness’ could be measured and assessed. The equity principle stated that there should be no distinction between individuals when deciding what ought to be done.