Monday, December 22, 2008

GOOD IS BAD













It appears that Separation of Church and State, in essence means, the Separation of Human Kindness and Medical Professionals.

As of last Thursday, if you're in a serious car accident, or your stuck inside your home as it catches on fire, or perhaps your choking on some food at a local restaurant, then don't expect help from a Good Samaritan.

The California Supreme Court decided last week that if you choose to be that Good Samaritan, by trying to do the right thing, you can be sued. It was ruled that a young woman who pulled a co-worker from a crashed vehicle isn't immune from civil liability because the care she rendered wasn't medical.

The divided high court appeared to signal that rescue efforts are the responsibility of trained professionals. It was also thought to be the first ruling by the court that someone who intervened in an accident in good faith could be sued.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-me-good-samaritan19-2008dec19,0,6547898.story


What ever happen to the Good Samaritan? It’s roots trace back to a parable which appeared in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25–37.

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead with no clothes. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

Jesus asked: "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

It appears that those on the California Supreme Court, instead of following the lesson of the Good Samaritan, chose to follow the jackass.

3 comments:

dmarks said...

The sky's the limit on frivolous lawsuits now. I think the time the lady intentionally ordered "Hot coffee", and then she spilled hot coffee on herself and successfuly got rich filing a frivolous lawsuit against the company that sold her the coffee, was a big turning point.

EatYourOkra said...

Sadly, we are a sue-happy society with a me-first attitude. I think we don't have to look far to understand why it's hot in here and how we wound up in this handbasket.

EatYourOkra said...
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