Where Morality and the Law Coincide: How Legal Obligations of Bystanders May Be Informed by the Social Teachings of Pope Francis
Author: Amelia Uelmen
October 6, 2017
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has offered to the world powerful signs of how we should aspire to treat each other as human beings, as brothers and sisters in the one human family. This article by Amelia J. Uelmen focuses on the ways in which the teachings of Pope Francis may illuminate how to theorize the legal obligations of a bystander to a person in need of emergency assistance. In particular, it zeroes in on the so-called "easy rescue" cases in which assistance would seem to pose little or no risk to the bystander. In the teachings of Pope Francis, reflections on the moral obligations of bystanders are no mere footnote, but a central feature. This article was published in the Seattle University Law Review in 2017.
