Law & Ordere is a long-running (1990-2010) crime investigation and legal drama t
ID: 3470134 • Letter: L
Question
Law & Ordere is a long-running (1990-2010) crime investigation and legal drama television series. Watch an episode entitled God Bless the Child (Season 2, Episode 5) and answer the following questions. Note: I haven't found a link to a site where you can watch this video. However, you may be able to find it somewhere online or, if not, let me know and bring me a USB or flash drive and I will copy it for you solely for educational use in connection with this assignment. Question 1: In this episode a child dies because her parents would not allow medical treatment due to their strict religious beliefs. What ethical theory does is the parents' decision not to allow medical treatment based on? Do you think parents should have the right to decide to withhold medical treatment from their children due to religious beliefs? Why or why not? Question 2: In a courtroom scene, the Driscoll's pastor (priest) says that government should protect freedom of religion. Assistant District Attorney Stone then asks: "So that if a church doctrine called for beating children, or allowing them to handle poisonous snakes? What if a religious ritual called for leaving children naked in the snow?" Although Assistant District Attorney Stone does not allow the pastor to answer these questions, what do you think his purpose in asking them was?Explanation / Answer
Q 1. Deontological ethics which refers to holding on to completing one’s duty fits this episode of the parents letting the child die by denying medical treatment. This theory suggests that the action is important if it fulfills one duty without worrying about the outcome. No one has the right to decide for another unless the person is incapacitated. Everyone has the right to decide for themselves, even the children. Religion should strive to work for the betterment of their members and not for their doom. Children are the individuals sent by God and parents are only the means through which they come to the world. They should be given the right to decide whether to live or die.
Q 2. The Attorney was right in intervening certain barbaric and meaningless practices of the religions which goes against the laws of the land. Religion by all means should help people improve their lives and shouldn’t limit their lives with meaningless rituals. All the religions have some strange practices and some even have the holocausts where human beings are killed and offered to Gods. Although the government has the duty to protect the religious rights, it has more responsibility in protecting its citizens from all dangers and even from the religious rituals that endanger their lives.
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