首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’ s parents. Called the Mai
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’ s parents. Called the Mai
admin
2015-01-09
79
问题
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’ s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore government.
That does not mean it hasn’t generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Other who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family; cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.
Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality provide is insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.
Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. At the turn of the century, that figure grew to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 26%. The problem is not old age perse. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.
But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fall through the holes in any safety net.
Traditionally, a person’s insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept, nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one’s parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.
The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one’s parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.
In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into ten problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren’t getting relatives’ support? They have several options:(a)get a job that work until they die;(b)apply for public assistance you have to be destitute to apply); or(c)starve quietly. None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?
The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have to far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order it is unjust.
Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill’s effect would be far more subtle.
First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual’s—not society’s—responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn’t hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.
Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.
But to be sued by one’s parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say, "Sue and be damned". The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.
It would be nice to think that Singapore doesn’t need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on traditional bonds. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place.
The author seems to suggest that traditional values____.
选项
A、play an insignificant role in solving social problems
B、are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children
C、are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness
D、are significant in helping the Bill get approved
答案
C
解析
题目问:关于传统价值观,作者暗示了什么?通过阅读文章可知,亚洲国家的传统价值观使得亚洲国家有别于其他富有的民族,也就是说,传统价值观观在保持亚洲的独特性方面有重要作用。第九段“TheMaintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have to far keptAsian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies.”所以,应选择C。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/AsLO777K
0
考博英语
相关试题推荐
Researchersarelookingfornewwaysto______theproblem.
Weareapeacefulcommunitybutwecannot______andallowthepeopleresponsibletodestroythefabricofoursociety.
Everytimeanoldbuildingistorndowninthiscountry,andanewbuildinggoesup,thegroundfloorbecomesabank.There
Everytimeanoldbuildingistorndowninthiscountry,andanewbuildinggoesup,thegroundfloorbecomesabank.There
Everytimeanoldbuildingistorndowninthiscountry,andanewbuildinggoesup,thegroundfloorbecomesabank.There
Theworkerschoseto______theirdissatisfactioninaseriesofstrikes.
TheimagemanyofusmayhaveofalanguageteacherissomeonedrillingaclassroomfullofteenagersinthefinerpointsofFre
Therearethreeseparatesourcesofhazard【1】totheuseofnuclearreactiontosupplyuswithenergy.Firstly,theradioactivem
Therearethreeseparatesourcesofhazard【1】totheuseofnuclearreactiontosupplyuswithenergy.Firstly,theradioactivem
随机试题
_______是影响人的身心发展的内在动力。
抗菌活性
法律规定,在委托代理关系中的民事责任是( )。
某商业综合体规划总建筑面积46.82×104m2,其中规划路南商业区地上部分面积为255954m2,地下部分面积为92187.8m2。根据平面功能分为六大功能区域:地下室、公寓、室内步行街、百货楼、娱乐楼和塔楼。商业步行街为3层的多层建筑,建筑高
全国人大常委会制定的法律,可以创设各种行政处罚,并对( )的行政处罚的创设拥有专属权。
下列说法中错误的是()。
根据合伙企业法律制度的规定,下列关于普通合伙企业合伙人权利的表述中,正确的有()。
某国驻华旅行社的工作人员帕特策划、参与了与国内犯罪分子的走私犯罪活动。对帕特的刑事责任问题,应当()。
下列说法中。全部符合历史事实的是()。①阿拉伯阿拔斯王朝的首都足麦地那②穆罕默德死后,他的继承人改称为哈里发,第三任哈里发奥斯曼时期,部分下层莫斯林组建了军事民主派,称为哈瓦立及派③阿拉伯人灭亡了具有1200年历史的波斯帝国的战役是雅穆克战役④在阿
学习乒乓球会影响到学习网球的效果,这属于()。
最新回复
(
0
)