What should you have to risk to save a life?
To begin, we posit three scenarios:
Scenario One: A person is collapsed, unconscious, not breathing. A crowd has gathered, but none are helping (though some are filming on their phones). You have your current knowledge of first aid. The person has a badge that reads: "Litigious and Proud of It" on their rucksack. You know that performing CPR can break ribs and that people have been sued (whether successfully or not) for performing CPR. They have, however, also been sued for not performing CPR. What do you do?
Scenario Two: A person is drowning. This time, there is no-one around to help but you. Regardless of your swimming ability, you will save the person, but there is a 50/50 chance that you will die in the process. Do you take the risk?
Scenario Three: You are on your way to an important event for which a lot of money has been spent when you see a person standing up on a bridge, staring at the water. You know that, if you stop, you will be late and possibly miss the event. You know that, if you don't and they jump, they will almost certainly die. Do you stop?
And should you?
In some places there is a legal requirement that those who can help, do. Do you think such laws are a good idea that encourage us all to take care of our fellow man, or do they risk burdening ordinary people with the painful guilt that comes with failing to save someone?
In my opinion, there we should attempt to rescue others (where we have the ability and won't make the situation worse), even where there isn't a legal duty to rescue. A legal duty to rescue might help prevent the bystander effect (where-by, the more people on the scene, the less likely the person is to get help). As for questions of guilt, I think it would be worse -- for me -- if I didn't try.