Essay on Parents Apprehended for Refusing Hospital: Madeline Neumann's Tragic Story

A story is told of a young girl (Madeline Neumann), now deceased and her parents. She had fallen sick to diabetes, and her parents being religious responded using prayer instead of rushing their daughter to the hospital. Ignorance and lack of knowledge about the disease are why they did not realize their child was dying. Their daughter's health would deteriorate then she would later succumb and pass away. Her death attracted the attention of the law enforcers, and the parents are apprehended then arraigned in a court.

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The Law of their home state (Wisconsin) spells out that in such a scenario, parents are no guilty of any crime if they responded to the occurrence of disease by praying unless it was life-threatening. Thus, in my opinion, the parents are guilty of manslaughter by medical negligence, according to Section 1 of the; Children's and Young Persons Act of 1933. Even if they did not know about the disease, it has been said in many countries that when it comes to Law, 'Ignorance is not a defense or excuse.' (Nciko, 2018). I am in support of it, and any responsible parent must keep an eye on the health of their children. A child has a right to medical care.

I suppose they were saying a prayer to God but forgot the fact that 'God only helps those who help themselves.' Negligence is not justifiable in the name of worship. Besides, it said that 'The doctor treats, God heals. 'At the same time, prayer is part of the life of those who have a religious affiliation. Prayer should not be outlawed since people, by Law, have a freedom of worship. Prayer is an essential element of that worship.

The best course of action for a court of Law to take is; to slap the parents with a fine and send the parents to see a counseling psychologist to assess their mental state because no 'normal' person would 'just pray' while their child is dying. The fine will be a reminder to discourage such offenses in the future. Sending them to prison is too harsh being first time offenders besides the fact that they have other children who depend on them.

April 21st, 2020

A Flight from Conversation

By SHERRY TURKLE

The article, 'A flight from conversation' by Sherry Turkle points out a very controversial issue. The issue of how advancing technology, especially in communication, has affected the quality of relationships. She points out face to face conversations are seen as tedious and have been replaced by Social Media. This paper aims to give a glimpse of what it is and how the unseen societal evil can be seen.

Technology, like any good thing, must be done with limits. Is it a surprise that, while technology claims to connect, it has made people more selfish and separate than ever?? It has affected the quality of relationships. A young man, Jae (not real name), asked his friend who lived 30 minutes away, 'Let us meet up face to face.' He said, 'Alright, what time do you want to Skype??' Jae was surprised and realized that the social media that excited them so much, had reduced the patience to have real conversations, in person.

Jae stands for 'Just About Everybody.' Jay Shetty says ironies of our generation are; 'taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider streets but narrower points of view.' People use abbreviations in their messages. Thirty-five billion messages are sent through Whatsapp every day, yet, 46% of people in the world say they feel 'lonely.' The average person spends four years of his life looking down at his cell phone. Can we 'auto-correct' this accepted form of digital insanity?? Yes, there's hope. A mistake is no failure unless we refuse to correct it.

The solution in one sentence is, 'Be the change that you want to see.' It all begins at an individual level. Just like health starts at a cellular level. Maybe if I reduced my 'face-time' on the phone, I would have more time to connect face to face with loved ones. Perhaps if I didn't take so many selfies at work, I would make so many friends, by talking to the people around me. Maybe read a book and create ideas to solve the problems that have besieged humanity. Perhaps, we should stop using 'Filters' and learn to accept myself and others. Then no one would be afraid to be themselves because filters are for coffee. Not people.

Maybe if I went down on chatting to a point while driving, then road carnage would go down. Maybe drivers would understand that they and those aboard are more important than whatever, whoever is saying about them on Whatsapp or Instagram. Perhaps if public Wi-Fi had 'off days,' I wouldn't go to public parks every day to amuse myself online but enjoy the company of other human beings right where I am.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to balance perspectives, Social Media is like fire, a good servant but a bad master. It should be regulated. All these 'Maybes' point to the fact that change begins from an individual level, then we can synergize the move, and the world will never be the same again. Our phones, the epicenter (s) of digital insanity, have replaced our clocks and calendars, let them not replace the people around us. Because a phone can be replaced but people and the limited time we have with them on earth cannot be replaced once lost.

References

Nciko, A. (2018). Ignorance of the Law Is No Defence: Street Law as a Means to Reconcile This Maxim with the Rule of Law. Strathmore L. Rev., 3, 25.

Fisher-McGarry, J. (2006). Be the change you want to see in the world: 365 things you can do for yourself and your planet. Conari Press.