"The Good Samaritan".
From a collection of public domain Christian clip art.

Good Samaritan laws in the United States and Canada are laws protecting from blame those who choose to aid others who are injured or ill. They are intended to reduce bystanders' hesitation to assist, for fear of being prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death. The name Good Samaritan refers to the famous parable told by Jesus in the New Testament (Luke 10:33-35). The Good Samaritan. ... The Good Samaritan. ... The Good Samaritan The Good Samaritan is a famous New Testament parable, that appears only in the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). ... See also Portal:Law The stela of King Hammurabi depicts the god Shamash revealing a code of laws to the king. ... Wrongful death is a claim in common law jurisdictions against a person who can be held liable for a death. ... The Good Samaritan The Good Samaritan is a famous New Testament parable, that appears only in the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). ... An ill digested lesson The Governess. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE — 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ...

In other countries (as well as the Canadian province of Quebec), Good Samaritan laws describe a legal requirement for citizens to assist people in distress, unless doing so would put themselves in harm's way. Citizens are often required to, at minimum, call the local emergency number, unless doing so would be harmful, in which case, the authorities should be contacted when the harmful situation has been removed. Such laws currently exist in countries such as Italy, Japan, France, Belgium, Andorra, and Spain. The photographers at the scene of Princess Diana's fatal car accident were investigated for violation of the French Good Samaritan law. In Germany, "Unterlassene Hilfeleistung" (neglect of duty to provide assistance) is an offense; a citizen is obliged to provide first aid when necessary and is immune from prosecution if assistance given in good faith turns out to be harmful. In Germany, knowledge of first aid is a prerequisite for the granting of a driving license. Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower White garden lily Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 1,183... Many countries public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. ... Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) (1 July 1961–31 August 1997), commonly, but incorrectly, known as Princess Diana, was for fifteen years the wife of HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. ... The result of excessive speed, this cement truck rolls over into the front garden of a house. ...

In the United States

Though the details of Good Samaritan laws in various jurisdictions vary, some features are common:

General guidelines

1. Unless a caretaker relationship (such as a parent-child or doctor-patient relationship) exists prior to the illness or injury, or the "Good Samaritan" is responsible for the existence of the illness or injury, no person is required to give aid of any sort to a victim.
2. Any first aid provided must not be in exchange for any reward or financial compensation. As a result, medical professionals are typically not protected by Good Samaritan laws when performing first aid in connection with their employment.
3. If aid begins, the responder must not leave the scene until:
   • It is necessary in order to call for needed medical assistance.
   • Somebody of equal or higher training arrives to take over.
   • Continuing to give aid is unsafe (this can be as simple as a lack of adequate protection against potential diseases, such as latex gloves to protect against HIV) — a responder can never be forced to put himself or herself in danger to aid another person.
4. The responder is not legally liable for the death, disfigurement or disability of the victim as long as the responder acted as a rational person of the same level of training would have under the same circumstances.

First aid is a series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that a non-doctor or layman can be trained to perform. ... The extraction of Latex from a tree; Latex is used in Rubber production Latex, as found in nature, is the milky sap of many plants that coagulates on exposure to air. ... Human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as HIV, and formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus) is a retrovirus that is the cause of the disease known as AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a syndrome where the immune system begins to fail, leading to many life-threatening opportunistic infections. ...

Consent

The responder must not commit assault by giving aid to a patient without consent.

Implied consent

Consent may be implied if the patient is unconscious, delusional or intoxicated — or if the responder had a reasonable belief that this was so; courts tend to be very forgiving in adjudicating this, under the legal fiction that "peril invites rescue". In the common law, legal fictions are suppositions of fact taken to be true by the courts of law, but which are not necessarily true. ...

Consent may also be implied if the legal parent or guardian is not immediately reachable and the patient is not considered an adult (no matter what the patient claims).

Parental consent

If the victim is not an adult (warning: definitions vary), consent must come from the legal parent or guardian. However, if the legal parent or guardian is absent, unconscious, delusional or intoxicated, consent is implied (with the same caveat as above). Special circumstances may exist if child abuse is suspected. Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child by an adult often synonymous with the term child maltreatment or the term child abuse and neglect. ...

Laws for first aiders only

In some jurisdictions, Good Samaritan laws only protect those that have had basic first aid training and are certified by the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Safety and Health Institute or other health organization. In other jurisdictions, any rescuer is protected from liability, granted the responder acted rationally. The American Heart Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. ... A WWII-era poster encouraged American women to volunteer for the Red Cross as part of the war effort. ...

In Canada

In Canada, Good Samaritan Acts are a provincial power. Here is a list of several of the provincial acts: Provincial is the title given in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Catholic Church order) to the principal of a province (a geographical area, such as a country). ...

1. Ontario - Good Samaritan Act, 2001
2. Alberta - Emergency Medical Aid Act
3. British Columbia - Good Samaritan Act
4. Nova Scotia - Volunteer Services Act

Only in Quebec does a person have a duty to respond. ^[1] Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (French has some legal status but is not fully co-official) Flower White trillium Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats... Motto: Fortis et liber (Latin: Strong and free) Official languages English Flower Wild rose Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ralph Klein (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 28 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 6th 661,848 km² 642,317 km² 19... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Flower Pacific dogwood Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages None (English,French,Gaelic) Flower Trailing arbutus Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant-Governor Myra Freeman Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 11 10 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower White garden lily Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 1,183...

An example of a typical Canadian law is provided here, from Ontario's Good Samaritan Act, 2001, section 2:

Protection from liability 2. (1) Despite the rules of common law, a person described in subsection (2) who voluntarily and without reasonable expectation of compensation or reward provides the services described in that subsection is not liable for damages that result from the person's negligence in acting or failing to act while providing the services, unless it is established that the damages were caused by the gross negligence of the person. 2001, c. 2, s. 2 (1).^[2] In law, negligence is a type of tort or delict that can be either criminal or civil in nature. ...

Paramedics in Onatrio perform what is referred to as an Aid to Capacity Evaluation in the event treatment and or transport to a medical facility is refused. The evaluation also includes indication to whom the assessment refers if not the patient (e.g.: parent, or substitute decision maker). Patient or substitute is requested to verbalize/communicate understanding of clinical situation, appreciation of applicable risks, ability to make alternative plan for care and a responsible adult on scene. Any negative response to the above would indicate a requirement of consideration of incapacity and necessary intervention would occur. Finally, paramedics request a signature for refusal of service: "I have been advised that I should have treatment and that treatment is available immediately, I refuse such treatment and transportation to hospital having been informed of the risks involved. I assume full responsibility arising out of such refusal."

In pop culture

A Good Samaritan law was featured in the May 1998 series finale of the popular NBC sitcom Seinfeld, in which the show's four main characters were all prosecuted and sentenced to one year in jail for making fun of (rather than helping) an overweight man who was getting robbed at gunpoint. In reality, while Massachusetts (where the crime is committed) does have a Good Samaritan law requiring passers-by to report a crime in progress, the most stringent punishment the characters could have suffered under those circumstances would have been a $500-$2500 fine (assuming they were prosecuted under state law).^[3] 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... NBC, (Formerly an acronym for the National Broadcasting Company until 2004), is an American television and radio network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Seinfeld was an American television situation comedy set in New York City that ran from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ...

See also

• Bystander intervention

A bystander will often intervene if another person is in need of help: this is known as bystander intervention. ...

References

1. ^ Good Samaritan Law from The Canadian Association of Food Banks. Retrieved on Dec 26, 2005.
2. ^ Good Samaritan Act, 2001 ©Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2005. Retrieved on Dec 26, 2005.
3. ^ Footnote TV's® Mirror Law™ analysis of the Seinfeld finale and Massachusetts' Good Samaritan Law. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.

December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Insert non-formatted text here July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Summary of good samaritan laws for various US juristictions
• Good Samaritan Laws in Canada
• Good Samaritan Act of Ontario, 2001