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Calculate The Consequences Of Bystander Law By Jack Sanders

897 Words4 Pages

Calculate the Consequences Being a bystander can save your life. Whilst seeing two young boys walking in the cold weather, a generous 17-year-old, Jack Sanders, offers these boys a ride and what seemed harmless at the time, turned out to be lethal for Sanders. The two boys attempt to carjack him and shoot Sanders, ending his life. This is just one of the plenty of dangerous outcomes that may come with lending a helping hand and is an example of why the bystander law should not be enforced. The bystander law forces people to intervene when someone is in danger, but does that mean you have to put yourself in danger too? Jack Sanders’ story shows how dangerous it can be to put yourself out there. The bystander law originates from the phenomenon …show more content…

Crowds seem to diffuse everyone’s moral responsibility, which results in no one intervening. The bystander law would force witnesses to report or intervene when someone is in the middle of an emergency. When it comes to the topic of the bystander law, most people believe that it is immoral for one not to intervene when someone else is in possible peril. This argument begs the question, what does peril mean? Recent and past news events involving bystanders who witness but do not report or help victims in crisis have led concerned citizens in the state of California, and across the country, to lobby their state representatives to create stronger Good Samaritan laws. However, the state of California should not have a law that requires an individual to “report or assist” a person in trouble or need or face serious criminal charges, jail time, and/or fine because the law is ambiguous and does not state the true extent that it will have, people will become more scared of speaking up in fear of being prosecuted, and in several situations, it …show more content…

There’s a chance that the number of good samaritans declines because of people’s worries. Ultimately, the question is; will the bystander law do more harm than good? Admittingly, some would argue that the law would inspire individuals to stand up for someone in need; nevertheless, different individuals are prone to have their reasons for not wanting to suffer the consequences of intervening. “When Will People Help In a Crisis” points out that, “Instead, we often find that a bystander to an emergency is an anguished individual in genuine doubt, wanting to do the right thing but compelled to make complex decisions under the pressure of stress and fear.” In other words, not every bystander is necessarily an immoral human being, most are just doing what they feel is best in the situation they were

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