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 Main
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’s parents. Called the Main
admin
2012-06-13
52
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 per se. 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.
Which of the following statements in CORRECT?
选项
A、Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.
B、Fathers have legal obligations to look after children.
C、It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.
D、The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.
答案
B
解析
根据文章第七段的第二句“A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children”可知。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/KjnO777K
0
考博英语
相关试题推荐
Tofundthe______eventandalsopromotethemarketingvalueoftheNationalGames,theorganizingcommitteesetuptheMarketin
Thereisastoryofaverywickedmanwhodies.Beforehedied,hewas【C1】______theworstbecausetherewere【C2】______sinsheha
Theyareworking______timetofulfillthetaskaccordingtotheschedule.
语言不是一种孤立的现象,语言是一种社会现象,它的使用、变化和发展受到种种社会因素的制约。语言和社会之间的关系是社会语言学研究的主要内容。语言又是一种人类的心智活动,人是怎样习得母语的,语言信息是如何在人的头脑中被加工、被记忆的,对诸如此类问题的研究构成了心
Givingthechildproblemshecannotsolvewillonlyfrustratehim.
Itwasallagreedthatthefirstproblemthenewgovernmentwouldhaveto______wasunemployment.
1.实行改革开放以来改变了过去封闭半封闭状态,提高了我国经济水平。2.文化是某一特定人群所有传统、习俗、信仰和各种生活方式的总和。3.一个国家的妇女通过她们的生活方式塑造了这个国家的道德、宗教和政治。4.帮助真正的穷人,要比仅仅缩小贫富差距更有价值
Personalityistoalargeextentinherent--A-typeparentsusuallybringaboutA-typeoffspring.Buttheenvironmentmustalsoha
Whilethepolltakersaremostwidelyknownfortheirpoliticalsurveys,thegreatestpartoftheirworkisonbehalfofAmerican
Earthquakes66.AttwominutestonooninSeptember1of1923,thegreatclockinTokyostopped.67.TokyoBayShookasifh
随机试题
汽车车身制图坐标系的确定采用__________确定坐标系。
最早开始记录病人的姓名举止病状以及方药等作为诊疗的原始资料的医家是
膀胱癌的组织学类型可以是
患者身体强壮、胖瘦适中,饮食无偏嗜,二便通调,面色红润,性格开朗随和,精力充沛,举动灵活,睡眠良好。属于
宜斯策略是指生物为生存和繁衍而采取的一种比较稳定的策略,即如果种群的大部分成员采用某种策略,而这种策略的好处是其他策略所比不上的,则这种策略就是进化上的稳定策略。 根据上述定义,下列各项属于宜斯策略的是()。
下列关于利率的表述正确的是()。
《人民警察法》规定,年满( )的公民可以担任人民警察。
对于流窜作案、多次作案、结伙作案的重大嫌疑分子,提请审查批准逮捕的时间()
A、 B、 C、 D、 D第一项分子加分母等于第二项的分子,第一项的分母加第二项的分子等于第二项的分母,依次类推,第五项的分子等于第四项的分子加分母,第五项的分母等于第四项分母加第五项分子,因此,第五项为
Everysooften,lateatnight,DavidWoodlandstealsawaytothedenofhishomeinAberdeen,Washington,sothathecanchecks
最新回复
(
0
)