You may have heard about this woman who was very obese and fused to her couch because she hadn't moved for over 6 years.
While I don't want this post to turn into a debate about what people eat/drink/exercise, I want to share this quote with you:
"Some say we should go to jail for letting her deteriorate," the 44-year-old Kendricks [dead woman's sister] said. "Why should we go to jail? Gayle was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions."
In my ethics class, we talked about Good Samaritan laws. The case we talked about was Kitty Genovese. She was murdered outside of her apartment complex and there were numerous witnesses who did nothing to stop it - not even call the police until it was way too late. Is it the duty of someone to respond to another in need, even if can cause harm to yourself? No one was prosecuted in the Genovese case for ignoring what occured.
We saw it in the attempted prosecution of the photographers who tailed Princess Diana. They took pictures instead of calling an ambulence. Paris has a Good Samaritan law.
I think would be the direction that any prosecution would take. "They should have checked on her knowing her physical condition."
Is it different when you have a sick relative than someone being attacked outside your window?
While we Christians have a God-given responsibility to assist those in need, do non-Christians? Is it self-preservation?
Is there a tendancy for non-Christians to be more giving than those who profess some kind of faith?
On Good Samaritan laws, I am not sure if I am for or against it. The idea has its merits but I also think it is a government intrusion - forcing me to care for another person. What do you all think?
