One of my favorite things to do with my older children and their friends is to discuss ethical dilemmas with them and have them think in real-life terms about right and wrong and the elusive gray area. I had just that chance last week with Sam, Gabe and a few of their friends.
As I caught up on some of my newsreader stuff I discovered that convicted murderer Susan Atkins was up for a compassionate parole from prison. Back in 1969 Atkins and four other members of Charles Manson’s family murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others at her home. The next night they killed two more people, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Atkins actively participated in the murders particularly the brutal slaying of the pregnant Tate. Flash foward almost 37 years and Atkins is 60 years old, with brain cancer. She has had one leg amputated and is unable to move or take care of herself. Her family would like her to be released, to die at home. After 37 years, should she be released?
Cassie, the only girl in the group said no. She felt that she should serve out her life sentence.
One of the other boys J’Tyler felt that she should be released. “The bible says to turn the other cheek Ms. LaVictoire. She’s an old lady now and it would be the right thing to do.”
Sam is undecided. He could go either way with a little persuasion on my part. So I started to stir it up a bit.
“Well what would you guys say if I reminded you that the people they killed were for the most part, in their 20s and 30s and never had a chance to get old like Atkins. Why should she get a break in her sentence when they are still dead because of her actions?”
Cassie remains steadfast. J’Tyler still thinks that she should be released. Sam is starting to move to J’Tyler’s position.
So I add, “what about Sharon Tate’s baby? He never even had a chance to be born and he was supposed to be born the following week! He would be in his late 30s now, and maybe even a dad himself if he had had a chance to live. Do you think it is justice to let her out of prison now?”
The baby was a compelling argument for J’Tyler and Sam. So then I presented this.
“What would you guys say if I told you that Atkin’s has received over 1 million dollars worth of medical care? If you guys moved to California and got sick, you wouldn’t be able to get the care she has received, especially if you were uninsured. Is that fair.”
Now that got some discussion going! The silent partners, Gabe and Aaron thought that was wrong. “She killed someone! She shouldn’t get fancy hospital treatment!”
Playing devil’s advocate I then asked, ” So do we just let her die?”
Silence.
It was becoming clear to these kids that doing the right thing isn’t necessarily always clear cut.
In the end I think our little group came to the consensus that she was better off in prison because of the care she was receiving but there was still an uneasy feeling about it among the kids so I tried to present this case for them.
“Guys, this feels funny because the crime itself was so gruesome, so horrifying and so unnecessary. It’s terrible to think about what those victims were thinking and feeling in the last moments of their life. It’s sad to think that a baby was never born. But it’s also so sad to think that this woman, Susan Atkins, who was so young herself at the time, has wasted all the potential and time she had living in prison because of her bad choices. You guys feel bad because now she is a sick old lady and this might be her last chance at any semblance of a normal life. You feel compassion and that’s good. You guys are good people. But any compassion given to her now is not going to change the wasted time and the lost lives. And in some way, her paying off the debt with her full lifetime in prison (totally supported by and humanely cared for by the state of California) adds a little balance. It says that a life taken is worth a lifetime given. Does that make any sense?”
I guess it did a little. After wards they all said it gave them something to think about, and that is what I was going for in the first place!
Please browse my eBay items!
Visit my new Amazon Store!
