What Would You Do...

[Savas]

You've got the deciding vote on a split jury on whether a man should be given the death penalty.

This man is a dedicated serial killer. He's brutally tortured and killed hundreds of people.

however, he's a brilliant research doctor who's on the verge of curing all forms of cancer. Within two years, his formula will be complete. No one else can finish it or understand it, it HAS to be him.

He insists on being exonerated of all crimes or he won't finish the formula. The choice is either the death penalty, or set him free... freedom meaning a cure for cancer, death for him meaning the inevitable yearly cancer deaths. (assume for this excercise that he won't kill again) :)

What DO you do?!?!

[Mikeinthesouth]

They have let mass murderers go free so whats the difference I guess. Osama is my example...

[Mikeinthesouth]

let him cure cancer then pin him for something different like they did al capone. I am sure he cheated his taxes at least once in his life. LOL

[paul300]

toast

[dominosarah]

Glad to hear she is doing her job!!!!!!!

[Savas]

Thanks...I'm told I should get checked every six months and avoid sun light. Which is fine, as I prefer the night life anyway. :)

Heh heh...It does give my wife something new to nag me about. "Did you remember your sunscreen?! What, do you want skin cancer?! What's wrong with you!?"

[dominosarah]

My dad had melanoma cancer and it metastised to his brain.  Never did find the primary as melanoma doesnt start in the brain. They thought he had a stroke at first.  Took a 6.5 centimeter tumor out of his right frontal lobe.  Please make sure you get checked and checked and checked.  I am so glad you are okay.                 sara

[Savas]

Hmmm...interesting answers. The idea behind this dilemna is it pits the concept of justice with the concept of the value of potential life.

I've been contemplating this throughout the day and I think I'd have to go with voting for execution. I can sympathize with dominosarah, I just went through a recent scare with skin cancer that made this question very real to me. (No, I don't have it, but I'm high risk and faced a battery of tests that made the threat very real for a few months).

I'm not totally surprised by those in the majority who voted to set him free. I did a recent write up on a philosophy site where we were arguing about the idea that the concept of justice is just as great as the value of human life.

I was arguing from the point of view it is; that we as a people have lost faith in the justice system, we've lost faith in justice. If justice was truly equal for all, then we as a society wouldn't be as demoralized as we are.

After all, you can judge a people's ethics, moral responsibility, and goodness according to their sense of justice. If you want to truly know the nature of a society, look at how it treats it's prisoners, those without a voice or those without power.

The idea that there are always a select few who's skills should be above the justice system is a dangerous concept. It weakens our sense of justice and hence society as an all.

Then again, it would be great to have a cure for cancer. :)

[gg222]

haha...he is def an oxymoron...he's a killer and life saver...

[mimi1313]

Why he is a killer and trying to cure cancer? He is an oxymoron that's for sure.

[Chi_Chi_Lover]

ScaredMom are you not registered to vote??? If you are you will be called to jury duty at some point. It's your duty as a a citizen

Let him walk and cure cancer although a cure for cancer will never happen. Too many different kinds of cancer and too much money in it for the pharmacutical companies.
I've had too many family memebers die from cancer.

[flmagi]

If he won't kill again, then let him walk.  When God decides his time of death, God will deal with any penalty he has comeing.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

The critical part for me is the caveat that he not kill again....given that, he can walk.

[Savas]

Heh heh...no cheating! Remember, you can't force him to do the work. As long as he knows he's going to jail or being executed he'll just stall. (He's a psychopath of stalwart nature, can't be budged no matter what).

This is another one of those cases for me, btw, that I'm not sure what I'd do. I've got conflicting philosophies on it so I think I'd probably explode from trying to make a decision. :)

[uglyfish]

Put him on death row. He'll be hanging around on appeals for 13 or 14 years anyway. Plenty of time to save the world..

[allaboutmary]

Ewwww another good one !    As long as we know he's not going to kill again, then by all means let him cure cancer.  I also don't believe in the death penalty.

[10356]

This is a tough one I lost my Mom to Multiple Myaloma 11 years ago Lost my sister to the same thing this last January, was the care taker of my Mother in law for 2 years and lost her to lung cancer. If he were to never kill again.. I would have to pick Freedom as in any war you are going to loose good people whom were loved by others, let their deaths at least have meaning to the millions saved..

[scaredmom330]

First of all, I don't think  I could be on a jury, I don't think I can judge another person. I think I am against the death penalty but then some of the stories of the monster out in the world I read about everyday, sometimes I not sure. Does that make sense?

[dominosarah]

Im feeling rather alone here people!!!!!

[sadinmichigan]

I second what beargizmo said..I can't justify letting him walk free either..,,my best friend died of crevical cancer at 26..

[PromisedLand]

I'm becoming more and more against the death penalty, so that's out.  How do we KNOW he's reached this point in his research, and how do we verify it?  If it's verifiable,
set him up in a lab in prison and let him work from there.  I can't possibly justify allowing a serial killer to walk free, cure for cancer or not.

Jim

[dominosarah]

I would give him a ride to his lab.  I lost my dad to brain cancer.  No question in my mind.