Philosophy Reflection

Philosophy Reflection

Think about the following scenario and reply to the questions below. In replying, do your best to be as honest as possible when stating your reasons.

Imagine one day you hear a knock on your door. You open the door and there stands Morgan Freeman with two doctors. Freeman appears very ill and the doctors explain why they are there: as it turns out, Freeman lives down the street from you (who knew!) and has a rare life-threating illness. He needs an immediate plasma transfusion and will need the same donor to donate their plasma to him for the next year in order to stay alive and eventually recover. The doctors tell you that plasma transfusions can be extremely painful and will leave the plasma donor bed ridden for several days after each plasma donation. After asking you a few simple questions, the doctors determine that you are an exact match and are ready to perform the first of many transfusions right then and there. If you decline, Freeman will die within an hour.

What would you do in this scenario? Take on the burden of keeping Freeman alive for a year as the ultimate Good Samaritan? If so, why? Or decline and not take on the burden? If so, why? If you decline to help Freeman, do you think you would be killing him or merely letting him die?